


Catching Stars

by ingenious_spark, WaywardDesertKnight



Category: Saint Seiya
Genre: (we are not good at science), A field trip through the mind, Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Abandonment Issues, Aftermath of Possession, Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Psychics/Psionics, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death (Past), Cyberpunk, Dragons, Explicit Sexual Content, Exposition, Fake Science, Gen, Gender Identity, Gender-Neutral Character, Implied Human Experimentation, Lovecraftian Horrors, Medical Realism, Messing with Genetics, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reincarnation, Religious Discussion, Tea, Telepathy, space travel, traumatic flashbacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-06-09 11:39:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6904420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ingenious_spark/pseuds/ingenious_spark, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaywardDesertKnight/pseuds/WaywardDesertKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It began when the dragons came and led humanity to a new age of enlightenment from darkness and ruin. For a thousand years they have guided the world into peace and prosperity, revered as teachers and leaders. A system that none have questioned for it has always existed.</p>
<p>Or so they claim.</p>
<p>Slowly, they awaken, the chosen Saints of a missing Goddess, reborn into a new era. But without the resources of a bygone world, those reborn to this new war have few places to turn. Succeed and restore the glory of humanity and gods alike; fail and the last hope of the world dies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Aries - Awakening

Mû leaned back on his kneeling chair, stretching as he loaded another essay up to grade. He sighed, adjusted his data augmentation glasses and took a sip of his tea. The clock chimed on the wall, filling the room with the sound of festival bells, an odd juxtaposition to the displayed 2:00 am. One more essay, then he could go get some sleep before finishing the last of them in the morning.

That was until the door flew open behind him. The art historian fell out of his seat, reaching for the stress ball on his desk to use as a weapon. He had flung himself under the desk, which now provided him a clear vantage point of the door. His older brother Shion and younger brother Kiki both stood in the door. “Shion, Kiki, what are you doing here?” He extracted himself, brushing the dust from his sweater vest. “I realize I stayed late again, but really, you call ahead, not to mention it’s a school night Kiki.” His youngest brother, despite a hardcore caffeine addiction, was usually good about sleeping on school nights, despite being in his last month of high school.

 _Mû, listen, we have to go now._ He heard Shion’s voice clear as day, but for the life of him couldn’t explain how, given that his brother hadn’t twitched a muscle since arriving.

“S- Shion? But you- you didn’t move your mouth?” He asked desperately. If Shion was actually speaking straight into his mind- well. There was only two fates for people like that. Induction into the Psy League, which was something out of nightmares, or death. He stared into Shion’s gray eyes, wordlessly pleading for this to be a nightmare, that he’d fallen asleep at his desk.

 _I’m sorry, dear brother._ Shion bowed his head, short blond fringe shading a solemn, half-heartbroken expression.

 _Come on, you dick. Wake up!_ Mû glanced, confused and despairing at Kiki.

“I _am_ awake Kiki. There’s no way my subconscious could throw something so cruel as both of you awakening as psychics at me,” he murmured, stepping forward to hug his prickly genius baby brother. Kiki grumbled at him, accepting the hug with bad grace as Shion packed up Mû’s bag, handing it to him.

“We do have to go, Mû. Please understand.” Shion’s warm, deep voice was touched with concern, and Mû felt tears prick at his eyes.

“How… Why? We don’t have any known psychics in the family.” His voice had gone thin and quiet, fear constricting it.

“There will be time to explain later,” Shion reassured him as they ushered him from the office.

Kiki slid into the driver side of the car, switching it over to full manual. Shion clambered into the shotgun seat, and slid it forward, which left just enough room for Mû to cram himself in the back. It took the scholar an embarrassingly long time to realize that the car had been packed with all of the goods they could reasonably carry. Food, clothes, datpads, toiletries and other necessities filled every spare space. Once inside and secured, their youngest brother floored it out of the university.

“So what did happen?” Mû posed the question once more.

“It started when I went to go fetch Kiki from the lab, there had been an accident and he had inhaled something, when I found him, he was raving about a past life and psychic powers… then his mind touched mine and I remembered, it was like I had been dreaming all of these years…” Shion trailed off as he pivoted the seat around to face his younger brother. “It will be easier if I show you.”

“Show me?” That drew a small degree of suspicion.

“Yes, just a little.” Shion reached out and pressed a hand to Mû’s temple.

A little turned out to be both everything from the past, and a headache that would make even one of the Great Dragons beg for mercy.

A name.

A life.

A death.

Mû thought he might throw up, but that was unbecoming of someone of his rank… what was his rank? It was important…

Aries.

One of the Gold Saints, the twelve strongest soldiers of the goddess Athena.

But what was a goddess?

Mû curled in on himself, flinching away from both his brother- mentor (both?) and the pain in his head.

“He’s got the weird eye spots too!” Kiki let out a whoop from the front seat, as he sped onto one of the cross city transit lanes. The magnets shot them forward like an arrow.

Mû was about to voice his question as to what spots when his eyes went to Shion’s face. There, situated on his forehead, just above his eyebrows sat two spots, and Mû wondered briefly if he had spent too long staring into his datlenses while he was grading. A quick rub of his eyes revealed that no, the spots were still there, and a quick glance in the mirror revealed the same markings on both Kiki’s and his own face. Shion’s were a lavender that matched the luminescent stripe dyed into the front of Mû's hair, Kiki’s gray-blue, and Mû’s were a burgundy-red.

Mû risked a glance out to the night sky, unable to see anything through the artificial lights and blackout. The dragons said it was to encourage a proper circadian rhythm in humans, but he began to doubt that statement. It had been a thousand years since the Great Dragons first emerged from their slumber to take pity on mankind, teaching them of technology and peace to save their dying world. But something told him he should be able to see stars, a privilege only permitted to those in the mage colleges who provided astronomical forecasts, or to the Psy League, who had pioneered the Space Expansion project forty years ago. With the rare exceptions of wilderness, most cities and the people in them never saw stars.

Shion’s mind touched his, _you feel it too? The pull towards the night sky as it was._

 _Yes._ Mû answered, a strange yearning emerged from the maelstrom of memories and fresh feelings. A need to find something… _the Aries Cloth!_

His senses swept about, straining as far as they could for it. But the Aries Cloth did not answer, which made him nervous. Judging by the look on Kiki and Shion’s faces as they passed through a tunnel, both had also tried and failed.

Before he could ask after their efforts however, sirens blared above and below them. Shion’s eyes narrowed, “Two Serpent Guard cars and three from the Psy League. Kiki move!”

Without further prompting, Kiki swerved into the emergency vehicle part of the tunnel, foot to the floor. The electromagnetic engine hummed, pushing them along as fast as it could. The vehicles in pursuit fell in behind them. Swerving again around the tunnel, Mû felt his stomach lurch as a lascannon fired on them. Shion emptied a shopping bag just in time for the scholar’s inner ear to fail as he lost the meager contents of his stomach, retching miserably. Kiki maintained superb focus, escaping the tunnel and launching them off over side of the road to land on a city streets below, the emergency fall stop barely cushioning the blow as he drove for cover.

It turned out to be a diner parking lot that let them escape their tails. Shion discarded the bag before the car could smell any worse before providing Mû with some medicine. Kiki came back with a red eye, ignoring Shion worrying about the amount of caffeine their youngest brother consumed. Mû shook, mind still trying to parse through the information dump Shion had left him with.

“You know,” Mû muttered as the other two returned to the car, “I still haven’t finished grading my papers yet.”

Shion’s worried look found him in the rear view mirror, seat again to the front. “You can’t go back you know. None of us can.”

“Mmm… but those students deserve a little closure…”

“That’s Mû for ya,” Kiki chimed as he pulled out of the parking lot, “diligent to a fault.”

But Mû ignored them, pulling on his datlenses and finding his pad to resume work. The car fell silent as they traversed the city, hiding in alleyways to avoid patrols.

Eventually Shion grew suspicious, as they doubled back around a corner. “Where are you taking us?”

“I know a place, well I know _of_ a place, it’ll get us out of here. Ah here it is!” The driver reassured before he turned into a house on the corner of a city block.

Before any of them could brace, the impact never came. The holograph wiggled behind them before returning to normal. A small, illegal-looking spacer shipyard occupied a rather impressive part of four city blocks. A few ships were tethered in, and one featured a pilot doing some maintenance checks.

“Do I want to know how you knew about this place?” Shion frowned, worried and a little terrified.

“Look not all the chemicals in the lab may have come from a purely legitimate source. And the guy who got them told me about this place.”

Kiki pulled to a halt near the occupied ship while Shion observed the pilot. The pilot wore a tank top, tattoos visible on rich ochre skin under the flickering lights, between spots of engine grease. Their wild brown hair had staged a rebellion against where they had pulled it back, curls now flopped in multiple directions from the hair tie. Shion squinted, just able to make out the designs of one or two tattoos in the poor light, both of which seemed to be tigers. He scowled.

It couldn’t be.

“S’cuse us,” Kiki called, rolling down the window.

The pilot turned, and Shion felt his heart skip several beats. Enough that he had to wonder for a moment whether or not someone had stabbed it again. Despite the scruff, he could tell. He could always tell.

“How can I help you folks this evening?” Libra Dohko put a hand on the roof of the car as he ducked down to talk.


	2. Libra - Exposition

Shion spent a full three seconds gaping at his dearest friend, his Cosmo flaring with painful recognition, before he pulled himself together. He leaned forward over Kiki.

“We were told you dealt in slightly less than legal matters. Are you a smuggler?” He asked, not bothering with subtlety. Kiki shot him a startled look. Shion was usually the very soul of subtlety. In this, though, he knew it would not work, because this man valued straightforwardness. Dohko drew back slightly, face sliding from good-natured humor to suspicion.

“And if I was?” He asked, voice wary. Shion winced slightly. Right, this wasn't Dohko _yet_ . Or, not the Dohko he had known. Maybe not _ever_ , Shion couldn't recall the Libra Saint having a surfeit of psychic ability.

“We need you to smuggle something for us.” Shion said, feeling somewhat desperate.

“We can pay!” Kiki interjected, and Shion threw him a despairing look. They weren't exactly rich, after all.

“We can't pay very much,” he corrected.

“But you could take the rest of the cost outta him! He'd make a good bedmate!” Kiki chirped, looking exhausted and incredibly energetic in equal measures. Shion choked on air, elbowing Kiki viciously, and Dohko let out a noise that was half-laugh half-cough. When Kiki was this stressed and caffeinated, his sense of humor took a turn for the incredibly inappropriate. He was usually pretty good about keeping it between their little family, but clearly he'd been under a little too much pressure.

“Before we get to payment, what exactly would I be hauling?” His gaze fell to the sacks of goods in the back seat.

“Three brand new psychics and a lot of their, uh, shit?” Shion smiled up at him weakly, glancing around the small, crowded car.

Dohko’s head shot up at that, eyes scanning the hologram perimeter and shields for any sign of the Psy League coming after them. Once sure they could continue the conversation, he frowned slightly. From the look of it, only Kiki was maybe young enough to qualify as a “late bloomer” for psychic abilities, given that they manifested around puberty, or so he'd heard. The other two were far too old. He scratched his head briefly, considering his options.

“I don’t accept sexual gratification as payment, and you don’t look like you can afford my rate on people… So I’ll cut you a deal, you show me proof you’re psychics and this isn’t some trick or another, and I’ll let you on. Once the dust settles, I have some friends you can help out, and that will square us over payment-wise, sound good?” The pilot offered.

 _Your name is Dohko. You have no other crew, which is strange on a freighter that size. There are three minds in my range, and two of them are drunk as skunks and actually thinking about - jumping you and stealing your ship?_ Shion’s eyes went wide, and he dropped the two drunks with a gentle thought. _But now they’re sleeping, so you needn’t worry._ Shion smiled worriedly up at Dohko, a small, quiet thought escaping him that he hadn’t intended. _You’re Dohko and I missed you so very much._

Dohko swallowed at that, squinting at Shion. He had a feeling he had seen the man somewhere before? Picked him up in a bar? No, it had been longer than that… Back to a night under the stars and moon, hand carved stone floor, holding him, whispering a final, tearful farewell… He shook the sensation off, his Resistance training had taught him how to sense a false memory plant, but this, this had been his own mind’s conjuration. It honestly felt more like regaining memories prior to getting blackout drunk, hazy but growing clearer by the moment.

“Wait… Shion?!” He blinked, now leaning into the car, almost falling through the window. Kiki grumbled a complaint about stinky old guys in his space, shoving Dohko mostly back out the window. Hope rose in a fragile flower in Shion’s chest.

“Yes, that’s my name,” he breathed, looking up at Dohko with hopeful gray eyes. “How did you know?” He asked, hoping to jar a few more memories loose.

“Talk later, escape now?” Kiki suggested caustically projecting a tangled mess of _impatient-worried-pursuit-threatening-stop-being-mushy_ at them. A fainter echo of the same _worry_ rose like a ghost from Mû in the backseat.

“Right, did you want to bring the car or have it scrapped? I have room for it, but it’ll be a little bit of a squeeze getting it out past the checkpoint.” The pilot opened the back door, taking bags in hand.

“Scrap it,” Kiki said shortly, and Shion glanced at him worriedly. This car was his little brother’s baby, for all that Shion had paid for it. Kiki pushed his door open, shoving Dohko away from the car. He caught Shion’s look and sighed sharply, raking a hand back through his short carrot-red hair, the thing that set him most apart from his brothers, both with dark-blond. “We were being chased. I lost them, cause I’m awesome, but chances are they tagged our make and model, possibly our registration. It’s better off scrapped.” Kiki trailed a regretful, loving hand over the steering wheel, before getting out of the car and shutting the door with a _snap_ . “Come on, losers.” He snapped, and unconsciously both Shion and Mû doused their brother in _comfort-shh-it-will-be-okay_.

Dohko nodded, opening the back hatch and started to haul bags up. It took a few trips, even with the other three helping. Once they had emptied the car, he pointed over two docks down. “Park the car there and leave it unlocked, there won’t be enough of it left to fill a shot glass by morning.” As instructed, Kiki moved the car before jogging back with an almost heartbroken expression. He ushered the other three on, and started the old-looking spaceship up from the back hatch controls. “Any destination in mind?”

“Nothing beyond far away from here, Dohko,” Shion said absently, pestering his little brother into a hug. “We really shouldn’t mess with your schedule, though, were you planning on leaving now? We don’t want anyone getting suspicious, especially if they ID our car.” An absent hand came to rest on Dohko’s grease-streaked forearm, a grip both familiar and bittersweet for its long absence. Kiki shoved past them, eyeing up the interior of the ship.

“Are you sure this rattletrap flies?” He asked, face clearly displaying his dubious opinion. Shion sighed. Kiki took especial pride in keeping his things neat and tidy, if not sparkling clean.

“Lady Danger flies, and she’s one of the best at what she does so I’ll ask you to show some respect.” Dohko answered Kiki before returning to Shion, “I was making a supply run to the Moon, should only take a few days. I like the space run, you can see the stars from…” He trailed off, the thought from before resurfacing, “you were dying, and I was holding you, we hadn’t seen each other in years and there was nothing I could do and-” he abruptly pulled Shion into a hug, bowing his face into the man’s neck, his whole body thrown into the gesture.

Shion’s breath wheezed out of him in shock, standing stock-still for a moment, before winding his somewhat pinned arms around Dohko as best he could. He tucked his face into Dohko’s brown curls, breathing in the familiar-not-familiar stink of engine grease and sweat. He was used to smelling that on Kiki, not Dohko.

“Oh Dohko. You were doing something that had to be done.” Shion knew that down to his bones, though he still wasn’t sure what it was. “Our paths had diverged, even if you were my husband,” he said without thinking, and a thrill of shock raced down his spine. His _husband_? Truly?

Dohko clung tighter at that, a flood of a thousand emotions boiling in him. The night at the palace asking for a divine blessing before they set forth to fight in a war they would probably never return from. A brief reunion as Shion faded once more, last duty to Athena done. A promise to meet again. “Oh Shion, Shion, Shion…”

A delicate cough came from behind them as Mû made himself known, the initial shock of the situation wearing off. “Not to bother you both at this reunion but perhaps we should leave first?”

Reluctantly, Dohko looked up, eyes meeting Shion’s, “your apprentice has a point. We need to go.” Belatedly, he realized he had smeared grease all over his husband’s front, recalling that they had been married in the eyes of Sanctuary if nothing else. “I’m sorry Shion.” It was an apology for a million things, from the engine grease on his shirt and face to being apart for so long. Shion smiled up at him, shaking his head wordlessly and gently pushing him onward.

When Dohko turned he slumped against Mû, beyond words and in some sort of shock. Mû carefully cupped a hand around the back of his neck, squeezing lightly before shifting to wrap an arm around his mentor-big-brother’s waist and encouraging him forward. Kiki was waving at them from the other end of the corridor, projecting that he’d found a seating area of sorts. They stumbled over and belted in in mechanical motions, as Dohko went through the motions of taking off from the cockpit just through a narrow doorway.

The engines rattled to life, and he hauled up the myomeric anchor. It was slow going for a few minutes as Dohko carefully maneuvered them into a designated flight channel undetected. The checkpoint cleared them for departure, the scan revealing nothing more than foodstuffs and other essential supplies. He silently thanked his friends for the psychic shielding upgrade a few months prior as he hit the accelerator and turned on auto-pilot to the Moon.

The pilot ducked into his cabin through the direct hatch down the hall from the cockpit, squeezing through the tunnel. He stripped, rinsed and put on some fresh clothes, shorts replacing pants and a fresh tank top. Without thinking he retrieved a second set and tucked it under his arm. Dohko found his passengers were in the seating area. Mû had started to give Shion a shoulder rub, while Kiki was muttering something about modifications.

“Gravity’s on, escape velocity achieved, and checkpoint cleared. And now I have the pleasure of welcoming you all to space.” He grinned and offered the outfit to Shion. "Now mind telling me what happened?"

Mû began, voice barely audible over the engines. "Well Kiki was in the laboratory at his school working, what were you doing?"

"Finishing up my graduation project." Came the answer behind him.

"So, when Shion went to fetch him, there had been a lab accident and Kiki had inhaled something that had triggered his memories of his previous life. His mind touched Shion's, which refreshed his, and they came to collect me at my office. Shion brought mine back with less subtlety  than I'm used to with his powers." Mû continued. "Apparently though a psychic awakening is somehow detectable by the Psy League, and they came after us."

Dohko nodded sagely, arms folded, "the Resistance has been smuggling psychics away from them for a while. Mostly when we get there all we find is a small child or two that were overlooked. Once and a while we get lucky and get the family out." He tapped the wall of the ship, "triple reinforced shielding, nothing gets in or out on that front. But... well I heard a rumor a while back, about how the League finds new psychics so quickly." At that all three leaned in, Shion's nod prompting the explanation. "They have dragons whose only job is to scan for awakenings, that single burst of a new psychic is apparently like a flare going off. They send in the agents and that's that. Escapes like yours are unusual, how did you manage it?"

Shion averted his eyes as Kiki answered, "between my awesome driving skills and Shion remembering how to use Crystal Wall, not that hard."

"Ah," Dohko smiled as relief flooded through him. However his worries about the three Aries Saints robbed him of any further words.

“You got someplace we could lie down? Mû here has the mother of all headaches.” Kiki grouched, breaking the silence, and Mû nodded wordlessly, rubbing his temples. Belated, Shion silently accepted the clothes now on Dohko's lap, rubbing his face off with the clean inside of his shirt before tugging on the one the Libra Saint had offered him. It hung strangely on him, and Shion realized abruptly that this Dohko was about an inch taller than him instead if four inches shorter, and broad where Shion was slender.

“There’s the crew rooms down there,” he pointed down one hallway, “door on the left, lavatory on the right, bit of a tight fit but you won’t have competition.”

“Thank you, Dohko,” Mû replied quietly, before he and Kiki stumbled off towards the cabin.

The pilot waited, it was a comfort to see Shion in his clothes, even if he was wondering about the strange fit. “Huh, you used to be able to wear my things without a problem.”

“I also used to be taller than you,” Shion said softly, looking down at himself with fresh eyes. He was horribly out of shape in this life, though if you’d asked him just yesterday he’d have said he was decently fit. He dragged his little brothers out for hikes on a regular basis, after all, and he jogged every morning, weather permitting. He poked his stomach, where there was a small pouch of fat he’d never managed to shake. It hadn’t ever bothered him before now.

Dohko offered down a hand to Shion, in the space of a moment brought back to the night by the training lake in Sanctuary. “I still think you’re the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met. You’re more than welcome to join me in my cabin. If you want to, I mean it has been a really long time if you think about it and you’re probably still parsing through everything and-” Shion stopped the anxious flood of words with a hand pressed to Dohko’s mouth, before replacing it with his mouth, kissing the Libra Saint with a fierce kind of desperation, pressing close.

Dohko growled low in his throat, his hands found Shion’s hair, shorter this time around. He tugged gently, some sort of fire in him that was different from arousal. He let his tongue drift over the Aries Saint’s mouth. Centuries fell away as he clung onto the man whom he had given his heart.

Shion opened his mouth under Dohko’s questing tongue, wrapping his arms around the Libra Saint’s neck and hitching one leg up on his hip. Dohko’s hand found his thigh and hitched him a little higher, pressing his burgeoning erection to Shion’s. He grinned, squeezing the Aries Saint’s thigh.

“Think I can pick you up still?” He asked, and Shion grinned back, bracing before bouncing up in time with Dohko’s hoist, wrapping both legs around the Libra Saint’s waist. He chuckled breathlessly.

“Looks like you can. Get me to a bed, Dohko. I want you to fuck me until I can’t remember a time without you,” he murmured huskily in the other’s ear. He hummed as Dohko quickly complied, hauling them into the cockpit and then through to his quarters. Shion busied himself nipping and kissing at Dohko’s throat. Dohko walked back until he felt the bed hit his knees, and toppled down on it. His mouth caught Shion’s in the turmoil, hips rutted together as he landed atop the Aries Saint.

“I missed you,” Dohko breathed, hips rolling again to punctuate the statement. He had never been able to describe the restlessness in the pit of his stomach before, the feeling that he was missing something in his life. This made everything clear, his memories, and his- he grinned mischievously, “I missed you, my shy little lamb.” Shion blushed, looking up at him with a pout.

“I’d forgotten you called me that,” he smiled faintly. “Anyone else, Dohko, and I mean anyone, and there’d be blood.” He threatened. Dohko smiled charmingly.

“You say that like there wasn’t, the first time I did,” he chuckled, pushing Shion’s shirt up and then off, kissing his way down the blond’s chest, biting gently at his nipple. The sensation made Shion buck and writhe beneath him, moaning low and sweet, even as the other roughly tugged his shirt up and off. Dohko paused what he was doing to get it over his head, and then returned to his sweet task. A thought made Shion pause, tugging uncertainly at one of Dohko’s rich brown curls.

“Dohko, are we going too fast? We technically just met, even if both of us remember a lifetime of marriage.” He asked, voice soft and hesitant.

He paused at that, half of himself arguing that the figuring things out could wait, and the other half could see Shion’s point. A little reluctantly, he sat back. Dohko’s eyes found his lover’s. “I concede your point about having just met. But at the same time it feels like I’ve come home, it’s quite the contrast.” He hesitated, “what do you want to do?”

Shion bit his lip, rolling his hips into his lover’s without quite realizing what he was doing. They moaned in tandem, and gray eyes met brown in a torn, lustful gaze.

“If you think about it,” Shion murmured, panting, “we have the rest of our lives to get to know each other again. I’m loath to deny us this right now, Dohko, I want you,” their hips rolled together again, and Dohko smiled tenderly down at Shion.

“And we will have our lives, together again. And this time I will not leave you, Hades and holy wars be _damned_.” He vowed, and they stared at each other wide-eyed, both startled by his sudden vehemence. Dohko smiled, a touch embarrassed as he stroked a thumb over Shion’s kiss swollen lips. “Now then, where were we?”

The Aries Saint’s eyes fluttered shut as his lover’s mouth trailed down his chest once more in a fiery line, paying special attention to Shion’s stomach in a way that made him squirm. Dohko nuzzled into the wispy hair at his navel. Before he could let out a giggle, the Libra Saint was on the move once more, a fresh line of bites rose in ferocity from his stomach to his chest. Shion arched as Dohko’s mouth found his other nipple, blunt teeth tugging at it.

“D-Dohko!” Shion gasped, throwing his head back and clutching at his lover’s broad shoulders, blunt nails biting slightly into his skin. A moment later he released his grip, scrabbling between them for the button of Dohko’s shorts, snapping it open and shoving them and his underwear off his hips. Dohko obligingly wiggled out of them, returning the favor and pulling the rest of Shion’s clothes off too.

The Libra Saint leaned back and admired Shion anew, a breathless smile on his face. “You’re looking stunning as always my lamb.” He brought one of the Aries Saint’s legs up onto his shoulder, pressing kisses along the inside of his thigh. Shion shivered at the contrast of soft beard and rough lips on his skin.

“I-I like the contrast.” He stammered as Dohko’s mouth found the crease of his hip. “How did you get your beard that soft?”

“Beard oil and careful grooming,” he smiled, “shall I keep it then?” Shion nodded, moaning anew as Dohko returned to his pleasurable task. Kissing along the Aries Saint’s hips, he nuzzled his nose to Shion’s erection, already fully hard. He smirked up at Shion.

“Already, Shion? So eager,” he murmured, and Shion turned his face into his shoulder, blushing brightly. Dohko smiled up at him, briefly resting his cheek against Shion’s hip. He'd not remembered how oddly bashful Shion got during sex. “My lovely shy lamb,” he murmured again, before licking a stripe up the underside of Shion’s shaft. He cried out, more out of surprise than because he was particularly loud during sex. Dohko set about pleasuring his lover, bracing his hips with broad hands and proceeding to work Shion over quite thoroughly.

“Dohko, where are your supplies, tell me you have some, please,” Shion asked, moaning softly and panting, tugging aimlessly at brown curls. Dohko lifted one hand and pointed before swallowing his lover to the root, and that earned a soft cry, an arched back. Shion was beautiful like this, undone and sprawled across Dohko’s bed, all soft lines in this incarnation, though there's some serious leg muscle down here. The thing Dohko liked the most about this small, soft version of Shion was the little squishy pouch of his tum. It was fucking adorable in Dohko’s humble, nuanced opinion.

Shion in some interesting twist to his torso, managed to get the drawer Dohko had indicated open, grabbing a bottle of lube and some condoms, tossing them down to land by his hip, squirming and gasping. Dohko knew when his husband was about to come, wanted to know what it looked like on this new, slightly different face. He pulled off with a wet pop, replacing his mouth with his hand and leaning up to bite gently at Shion’s lower lip.

“Let me see you come for me, lamb,” he murmured, voice husky from sucking his lover's very lovely cock. Three hard, shuddering thrusts later and Shion spilled over Dohko’s hand with a hoarse, guttural cry before flopping back against the pillows. Dohko smiled and kissed him soundly, finding his oil-stained shirt from earlier and wiping off his hand.

“You are just as beautiful as I remember, like that,” he said, utterly satisfied. Shion grumbled something unintelligible and flopped an arm at Dohko. Dohko could feel some sort of energy rising like a thin cloak from Shion’s skin, and it triggered another memory as he sat bolt upright and smacked a fist into his palm. “I forgot!” He exclaimed, and Shion opened one eye to look at him in what was definitely judgement. Dohko smirked.

“We can burn our Cosmo to keep going for days,” he purred, exhaling a hot breath over Shion’s erection, half-hard again already. Shion only moaned in response to that, but he didn't lodge any complaints, so Dohko kept going, nudging his knees under Shion’s thighs to get better access to that glorious ass. He felt Shion's Cosmo flare to match his own, at a steady, low burn. He grabbed a condom first, rolling it on with a faint hiss. Shion looked up at him, concerned. “No worries lamb. Just a little sensitive, want to be in you,” he muttered, and Shion smiled knowingly. Dohko grabbed the lube and programmed the bottle to give him very slick at skin-temperature. He hesitated there, before offering the bottle to Shion. “I remember you used to like to give me a show,” he said, half a question, and Shion smiled, mischievous.

“I was wondering how long I could get you to do all the work,” he said slyly, but took the bottle, pouring out a good dollop and slicking down three fingers before handing it back. Dohko watched with greedy eyes as Shion carefully slipped a finger into himself, humming, eyelids fluttering. Dohko’s hand automatically migrated to fist his own erection, but he forced his hand down to clench in the bedsheets. If he jerked off to this he'd definitely come too early, and he'd have to change the condom and get himself hard again, which would leave Shion hanging for longer than he'd like.

Shion was up to two fingers now, scissoring and rubbing himself. His cock was hard again against his arm where he'd reached forward between his legs. Dohko felt a subvocal rumble and one thought flew to his ship, his lovely Lady Danger, before he realized the sensation was emanating from his own chest, a rumbly noise half between a purr and a growl. Shion looked up at him, smirking, before sliding in a third finger.

“There's my fierce tiger.” He hummed, and Dohko was thrown for a moment before recalling - as the Libra, the scales, the _balance_ , he was tiger and dragon both. He slicked up a hand, fisting over his cock to make it slick for Shion, and grabbed the shirt from earlier, wiping his hand off and offering it to Shion. Shion accepted, withdrawing his fingers and wiping them off as Dohko lined himself up.

“Are you ready for me?” He asked throatily, and Shion rolled his eyes.

“Yes, and if you don't get in me now I'm trying out one of those toys I sa- _aaahnnn, Dohko,_ ” his words were lost as Dohko pressed into him, slowly but surely, all the way down to the base. Dohko’s breathing was wrecked by the time he was fully sheathed, but then, Shion wasn't looking much more coherent.

“ _Shion_ ,” the Libra Saint snarled against his throat. “My Shion…” His tone fell to reverence.

“Dohko, are you going to move?” He whined, back arched needy.

It took no further prompting on the Aries Saint’s part to get his lover to set a grueling pace. He writhed and clung to Dohko’s shoulders as he rocked into the sensation. Neither could sustain the pace and orgasm found both of them too quickly for either of their tastes. However between their enthusiastic reunion and blazing Cosmos, neither bothered to stop. In a show of strength, Dohko got his limbs under Shion and hauled him to sit up, mouth again on throat and shoulders. The Aries Saint shuddered, every thrust now at a deeper angle, and his own erection rubbed teasingly against the hair on Dohko’s stomach. A vague thought that had the Libra Saint been granted full physical maturity in his last life, he might have had such characteristics, rather than the peach fuzz Shion remembered.

A third orgasm shuddered through the Aries Saint as he pushed his lover back on the bed, now riding him. “Come on my lovely tiger, unsheathe your claws. I want you to rip into me.” The audacity of the statement would normally have shocked Shion, but his memories of his previous encounters with Dohko recalled it. The pilot obliged, his nails dug into the flesh just inside of Shion’s shapely hips. The Aries Saint let his head fall back, driving Dohko into him as both climaxed again. He rolled his hips twice more as the Libra Saint surged forward, slamming him into the mattress with a snarl. Shion yelped, as Dohko rode him into a last orgasm, finishing a few thrusts later.

Being as out of practice as they were at the use of Cosmo, both crumpled into the languid bliss of post-coital cuddling. Shion let Dohko tuck himself under the Aries Saint’s chin after discarding the condom. “We should clean up,” he mused.

“In a minute,” Dohko grumbled, arm tightening around Shion’s waist. “Missed you. Missed cuddles.”

“I missed you too.”

-

Shion woke as Dohko slipped out of bed and into the cockpit in response to a soft chiming noise. He scrounged around and found a pair of clean pants, pulling them on before padding to the door to observe Dohko speaking softly to the Moon Dock Station. Had it been fifteen hours already? They’d passed it well enough, speaking softly about their lives and their plans for the future, uncertain as it was, after they’d exhausted themselves. Dohko smiled up at him, signing off and standing to give Shion a kiss.

“We’ve got ten minutes before we reach the life sign scanners, and I’ve got a shielded room. Let's get your brothers.”


	3. Virgo - Extraction

Three days later, Dohko had finished up his business on the Moon - mostly legitimate supplies, and a few less than legal ones - and they were venturing out to collect their own supplies. They had had a brief planning session, and Dohko had gotten into contact with his friends in the Resistance, and they'd come up with a base deep in the rainforest that hadn't been used in forty years. It had been evacuated then due to having been discovered by hostile forces. The dragons and their forces had stopped checking the base a good thirty years ago now, and it was the only base the Resistance was willing to give them, not knowing whether or not they were being pursued yet.

It suited Shion just fine, as he liked to fix places up. He was a professional renovation expert, after all. He'd already made up a comprehensive list of things they would need that made Dohko a bit shocked.

“Do we really need an entire crate of quick-clean units, and two gallons of industrial bleach?” He asked, looking rather confused. Shion sighed softly, hauling himself up into the passenger side of the cargo jumper they were taking over to the industrial shopping district.

“Yes, we do. Forty years abandoned in a rainforest? Even if the building’s structural integrity is still unimpaired, and roots haven't pierced the force shields, that's forty years of neglect. Chances are the water and sewage systems are messed up, not to mention mold. We're going to have to sleep on the ship for at least a couple days.” Dohko’s eyes went very, very wide and he looked a little ill.

“Message received,” he muttered, wiping a hand over his face. “I guess that explains the rebreather units with toxin filters.” Mû and Kiki clambered into the cargo area behind the seat, and Dohko drove out. “Hey, by the way, do any of you know how to ID a psychic drone?” He asked, maneuvering through the moderately busy streets. They all replied with the negative, though Kiki piped up.

“I sorta remember something? Those people outside the high school, Shion. The ones you deflected off with a Crystal Wall when you were getting me out of there? I was still kinda high, but I remember they were awful, and weird.” Kiki shuddered, the memory uncomfortably visceral, and leaned into the arm Mû wrapped comfortingly around his shoulders.

“Okay, well, those people were probably drones. Drones, as far as we can tell, are people who rejected the conditioning the Psy League puts all their psychics through. They’ve been somehow wiped or suppressed of all knowledge and emotion. They’re like puppets, and that’s how you spot them. They always end up looking a little mechanical in their movements, and they don’t tend to react to anything the way you think they should. Very uncanny valley.” Dohko explained. Shion nodded thoughtfully.

“I was panicking at the time, but I recall how they felt against my Cosmo. Like voids, or holes in the world, where my eyes told me there should be life. But wound through that void, like the strings on a puppet, thin threads of an ancient, alien malice.” His eyes widened. “I think that was a dragon!” Shion quickly, discreetly shared the feeling with his powers amongst them, wary of using more than the barest hint of his Cosmo in monitored areas. Dohko shuddered.

“No wonder I’ve always hated drones so irrationally,” he mumbled to himself. “Anyway, that’s not the only thing the dragons have up their sleeve that you should be worried about,” he looked uncharacteristically grim. “I doubt they’d deploy them in such heavily populated areas, but the dragons have been playing god with genetics. The first record we have is from about nine or ten years ago, but the dragons have been making people into…” His brow furrowed as he searched for the right word. “Chimerae. Humans and animals grafted together in all manner of awful ways. They’re super soldiers, essentially. We can’t find any way to tell them apart from the general populace yet, or have a good way to eliminate them.” The three siblings looked at him, raw horror written all over their faces. Dohko slid neatly into a parking spot in the cargo loading zone. “We should split up, but keep someone with you at all times, so two and two.” He returned to the matter at hand. Shion nodded, handing Kiki a datpad with half of their list.

“Kiki, that's a list of all the electronic stuff and tools we’re probably going to need. Dohko and I will get the rest, linens, cleaning supplies, and food. Stay together, okay? I love you two.” Shion’s gray eyes were serious and worried. Mû gave him a reassuring smile.

“We got it. Don't worry.” He told his big brother, before he and Kiki headed off. Shion smiled at Dohko, slipping his arm through the Libra Saint’s, and they set off in the other direction.

 

* * *

 

Shaka yawned widely, leaning back to stretch. They had been at the tea house for a while now, updating and catching up on their archaeology and art publications and journals. A flag popped up at the corner of their datlenses and they blinked at it. A brief hello, how are your studies going from their mother. They also updated Shaka on their fathers and older sisters. Shaka smiled sweetly, pulling up a new email on their linked datpad, writing out a quick reply on how their independent studies were going, how their side business in the cutting-edge trend of natural material jewelry was going, and asking a couple questions about their oldest sister and her wife's upcoming second marriage to a third very lovely young woman.

They almost didn't notice when the distractingly pretty individual with long dark-blonde hair with a luminescent lavender streak in the front on the left walked up, setting a hand on the back of the chair next to Shaka. 

" Mind if I sit here?” The very pretty person said in a delightful, soothing low baritone. Shaka themself was of a higher tenor persuasion, and had a brief pang of jealousy.

“Not in the least,” they smiled sweetly, before returning to their datlenses. Studying caught up on, now it was time for the fun stuff. Shaka started download on the newest episode of their favorite animated show, and pulled the latest chapter of their favorite serial old-fashioned high fantasy book. Their acquaintances were forever telling Shaka they were too entrenched in the past for their own good. They pulled their beading kit out absently, placing it on the counter and pulling out their latest project, heavy blood-red cord and pale undyed bone beads. They were considering keeping this one for themself.

They completely missed the pretty person’s shocked glance, too absorbed in the exciting world of elves at war. The main point-of-view character had just died of spontaneous combustion and they were dying to know how the author was going to reconcile it.

A gentle hand settled on their shoulder and Shaka startled, blinking a bookmark and whipping their datlenses off. “Is something wrong?” Shaka asked anxiously.

“I don’t mean to bother you, but you’re a very skilled artist,” the pretty person ventured. Shaka blinked, slightly thrown, and then blushed, smiling sweetly.

“Thank you! If you're interested, I do sell them.” They said brightly. The pretty person flushed faintly, smiling slightly.

“Ah, where are my manners? I'm Mû.” The other blond said. Shaka waited for the other to specify pronouns for a moment before introducing themself.

“I'm Shaka. I take they/them,” they said with another sweet smile. Mû flushed again.

“Ah, I take he/his,” he hurriedly added. Shaka wondered idly how he'd managed to miss half of his introduction. That was common etiquette missing there, and Mû had seemed a very polite person. That was a strange juxtaposition.

“Um, I'm an art historian, and I couldn't help but notice that your bead-work is very like an old art style called rosaries. I thought the style all but lost.” Mû said, and Shaka blinked, looking back down at their work - almost done, and really impractically long. They weren't sure why they'd made this particular piece so long. It had eaten up a hundred and eight of their hand-carved bone beads. They hurriedly ended the string with a decorative knot and looped it twice around their neck. The long tasseled ends draped into their lap and they fidgeted awkwardly with them.

“Really? I had no idea. It just sort of… comes naturally?” Shaka replied uncertainly.

“That’s remarkable. Though now I am curious, have you ever heard the term Virgo?” Mû asked delicately. Something was making Shaka incredibly nervous, hands shaking as they closed up their beading kit, gathering both it and their datpad into their shoulder bag, before pulling out the case for their datlenses and tucking them away too.

“I'm afraid not. I really do need to go,” they said, tapping their datlink against the tea house’s datscreen to pay before standing, bowing briefly and pattering out of the tea house.

 

* * *

 

Mû leaned back in his chair for a moment, kicking himself. Why couldn’t everyone just come as naturally to it as Dohko had? The Libra Saint had showed no qualms when confronted with the truth. Then again, Shion had found quite the persuasive argument. On the other hand Shaka had, as he was quickly recalling, died twice over the course of a night. Perhaps that had made those memories burrow deeper into their mind than that of his or Dohko? What if Shaka never remembered? What were they supposed to do then?

The train of speculation crashed to a halt as he felt something strange, and glanced across the street. There Mû saw the lifeless eyes of two Psy League drones, or at least what he guessed they were based on Dohko’s description and their jarring absence of a psychic signature. Their heads scanned back and forth, no organic flow to it, a normal person would probably suffer whiplash doing that over and over. Then again if Shion’s speculation of them as draconic puppets was correct, perhaps they _were_ suffering whiplash, but had lost the capacity to process pain. Both of the drones spotted him a moment later, but he couldn’t leave the colony without Shaka. Fortunately the crowd provided an ample distraction for the time being.

 _Mû, Kiki’s at the cargo jumper and he’s telling me you two split up? Because you sensed something and told him you’d catch up?_ Shion’s mental tone was one of worry and anger, and Mû cringed in guilt. It was true. They'd almost been done with the shopping when they’d passed that tea house, bordering between the industrial district and a nicer residential one, when Mû had seen long (though shorter than it had been) pale blond hair and golden-brown skin, felt a familiar Cosmo and just _had_ to go.

 _I found Shaka, and two drones are tailing us. I’m not leaving here without them._ Mû replied.

 _You have two hours, that’s the longest we can stay. Good luck._ There was still a lingering feeling of angry disappointment, before the link went silent once more.

The Aries Saint stood from his seat in the shop and set off into the street, scanning for Shaka, both visually and telepathically. The void of the drones dwindled behind him but never quite left his range. Of course it would be his luck that they would still find him. He felt fortunate for how quickly he was relearning his abilities as he sprinted down the street, a thin flicker of Cosmo guiding him. Mû found Shaka leaning against the wall of an alley, rubbing at their temples.

“Shaka, come with me.” It was as gentle a demand as he could make, fear constricting his throat. Shaka made a shocked noise, jumping away from Mû, and he resisted reaching out to grab the smaller Saint's upper arm - wait, _smaller_?

“Why should I?” Shaka demanded, blue-green eyes wide and one hand clutching the rosary Mû had just seen them finish, an eerie twin to the one Shaka and Mû had sealed the hundred and eight Specters of Hades into.

“Because two Psy League drones are coming this way, and they’re here for both of us, to kill us or take us hostage. I don’t have any way to convince you to trust me other than old movie tropes, but for your safety, and your family’s please, Virgo Saint Shaka.” Any other day it would bother Mû to plead so desperately, but if Shaka was here, then he had to try to get them out.

No sooner had the words left his mouth, then the drones rounded the corner, lascannons primed. Mû imposed himself between Shaka and the drones, hands raised.

“Warning citizen, you have been seen in the company of an unregistered psychic, please surrender immediately or you will be terminated.” One of the drones demanded, voice as flat as their eyes.

“CRYSTAL WALL!” Mû roared, prepared to defend against the onslaught of plasma bolts. Simultaneously, a higher pitched voice shouted behind him, a small hand clutching the back of his shirt.

“ _OHM_!” A brilliant golden light consumed the drones, and a good amount of the surrounding storefronts. The blast was mostly contained by Mû’s Crystal Wall, but the Aries Saint didn't want to think about how many injuries and how much property damage this was going to cause. He twisted as the shockwave caught them, clutching this new, strange Shaka to his chest as they went flying.

They skidded along the pavement, and Mû could tell he would have a few unsightly bruises along his back at a minimum. He struggled to sit up, and found Shaka near his legs. They had a nasty cut over one eye and their skirt was ruined, but on the whole the Virgo Saint seemed to be fine. They caught his gaze with wide, shocked eyes, and Mû abruptly realized the other blond was shaking.

“What was that? What did I just do?” Shaka’s sweet tenor voice was also trembling, and Mû realized that the Ohm must have been a largely unconscious reaction.

“Never mind that right now, Shaka, I need you to take me to where you live. You just - uh, took out two Psy League drones, you’re not any safer than me right now and we need to evacuate.” Mû cast a wary look over his shoulder and refrained from telling Shaka they’d just killed at least two people and injured more. The guilt would have to wait until they were safe. He helped Shaka to their feet, and they stumbled off, Shaka leading them a few streets away to a modest apartment building in a nice part of town.

Mû stood guard at the door, as Shaka scrambled clothes, toiletries, datpads, and a whole bunch of beading supplies into a sturdy, worn rucksack. Mû silently blessed the fact that apparently Shaka’s lack of attachment to the material had followed the Virgo Saint into this life as well, as they seemed quite efficient. The beads seemed to be the only thing that did not have a utilitarian purpose that they packed.

Then they grabbed a couple of heavy canvas shopping bags from a hook on the wall and started wholesale emptying their pantry into it, and Mû blessed them again. Practical and thinking of all the angles, that was Shaka alright. When they were done, Mû took the shopping bags and wrapped a casual arm around Shaka’s shoulders as he guided them to the rendezvous point. Just a friend helping his friend carry a few things, nothing exciting to see here.

 _I’m on my way._ Mû cast his thoughts out to Shion and Kiki.

 _‘Bout time, Shion was starting to fret!_ He could hear the exasperation in Kiki’s voice.

 _I believe that was you fretting._ Shion’s calm answer came.

 _I’ve got Shaka, they’re in, well they’re in shock. Also don’t listen to the news for a little while._ Mû guided Shaka around another corner, ducking them into a doorway to avoid another pair of drones.

 _What did you do?_ It was Shion’s big brother voice, that Mû abruptly also remembered as his ‘disappointed Pope’ voice.

 _I’ll explain later, we’re almost to the docks._ He hastily shut down the connection.

Across the docking strip, Mû saw Dohko’s transport, the disruption field and a dozen cargo transports now the only things between them and freedom. He stepped up to the fence, and placed a Crystal Wall between the two halves. The perimeter alarm may go off if news of their initial escape had spread. The Aries Saint glanced back to Shaka.

“It’s safe, Shaka,” he reassured them with a smile.

They stumbled through, still dazed before their legs gave out just past the fence. Mû closed the gap behind them and after taking their pack, picked them up to carry them. The pair skirted around the field, avoiding transports and people as carefully as they could until they reached Dohko’s vessel. As Mû’s strength gave out, Shion appeared at his side and silently took Shaka while Kiki helped him aboard.

“So Shion says you found Shaka?” Dohko ducked in, grinning.

“Yes, and they,” he paused to emphasize the pronoun change, “may have just used Ohm and leveled a substantial area.”

“Ah, well I’ll get us out, don’t you fret, Mû.” The Libra Saint winked at him.

“Thank you,” he smiled, even as Kiki set him down with an unceremonious flop onto the seat.

“Are you alright?” Kiki frowned at his brother suspiciously.

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” Mû was genuinely confused by the accusation.

“I know you Mû, and don’t think I don’t remember what happened the last time you an’ Shaka were even in the same general area.” He took the opportunity to jab a finger into his former mentor’s forehead.

“Kiki,” Mû reprimanded.

“I remember you being all stupid and pining and I can tell you exactly what you exactly what you did after Shaka died the first time.” He growled.

“Oh… Is there a point to this?” The older Aries ducked his head, voice quiet.

“Yeah, don’t screw this up, cause I am not watching you waste your life pining cause you can’t stop thinking with your cock.” Kiki frowned.

“Kiki, please, I am an adult, and besides…” He trailed off, casting a glance to where Shion had started to treat the Virgo Saint’s injuries.

“Tch, you’re an idiot. Now turn around so I can patch you up.”

“I’m not an operating system.” Mû protested.

To be fair his brother was remembering quickly how to treat injuries. His back was only somewhat scraped up, though the true victims were his scarf and sweater vest. He had liked those, their parents had given them to him for his birthday. Mû waited for Kiki to leave back to the bridge of the ship before risking another glance at Shaka. They were slumbering peacefully now in the reclined seat, their injuries not as bad as he had feared.

“Mû,” Shion crossed the gap to sit beside his former apprentice.

“Am I that obvious?” He leaned back, pressing a hand to his eyes.

“I’ve known you too long. But remember, Shaka at this point doesn’t know you, if you wish to engage them in this fashion, you’ll have to learn about the person they are now, not who they were. I don’t want to see you hurt chasing memories of a time long since past.” That was Shion, no beating around the bush, it was a nice change from Pope Shion, who couldn’t go three sentences without being cryptic. It was also, perhaps somewhat hypocritical, considering Dohko.

“What? What about you and Dohko? You sure didn't take much time to fall into _his_ bed.” He wriggled into the cushions on the chair, back now to his older brother. Shion flushed, and set a warm hand on his little brother’s shoulder, blanketing him gently in _concern_ and _love._

“Mû, please, I do not say this to wound you, I say it because you are my brother and it is my job to worry about you.” Shion’s hand ran through his hair, petting it gently.

“I understand,” he muttered, relaxing into the sensation.

“Get some rest,” Shion reassured, pressing a kiss to his brother’s head.


	4. Interlude - Enlightenment

Shaka hummed a shaky lullaby to themself as they sat tucked into an out of the way corner on the ship. Since they'd woken, memories patchy but quickly returning, they'd avoided everyone. It wasn't going to work much longer, though, the ship was scheduled to touch down in only half an hour. They hoped no one would come looking for them, they desperately needed alone time, away from the three brothers-but-not, and the young-man-who-was-old.

The multiple sets of memories were throwing them off so badly. They knew how everyone ought to react, but they didn't quite line up, even as they did. They supposed they were no different. His- no _no no their_ \- skirts suddenly felt odd against their legs.

They let out a faint, cracked sob. They'd realized their gender identity young, and been used to it, comfortable in it. But this life- these lives- they'd been male for both. They felt horrifically confused over it all, and they honestly weren't sure how to cope.

That was another thing as well. Everyone around Shaka was talking about one life, so why could they remember two? Both were so short and full of strife and loneliness and struggle that it scared Shaka. These people they had once been, they had been so strong, emotionally and physically. This Shaka, Shaka as he was now, was… soft. Spoiled, even. The baby of a large family, never having wanted for anything, loved and secure. They were also the oldest any Shaka had ever been. One had died twice at the age of twenty, and the other had been, Great Dragon’s tits, _thirteen_.

The ship shuddered and groaned, before all sense of movement stopped in a gentle bump. Dohko’s voice came over the comms, welcoming everyone to their new base. Shaka put their head down and focused on breathing, smooth bone beads sliding through their fingers in a self-soothing, repetitive motion. They were relieved as time slipped past and no one came to bother them.

It wasn't just the two lives that bothered them, or the new, awful confusion over their gender identity, though. It was the religious aspect of their previous lives. The first Shaka had been a… strange sort of Buddhist. They'd, no, he had had no qualms over taking a life in Athena’s name for quite a while, until the reckless five bronzes had come busting through Sanctuary and lifted the veil from his eyes. They- he had taken compassion deeply to heart after that.

Then there was the matter of reincarnation in general, as opposed to the specific two lives they now knew. The first Shaka had grown up in a Buddhist temple, for the first few years of his life. There he had discovered such a heightened spiritual awareness that the monks had told him he must have been a bodhisattva who had returned to the world to help others attain enlightenment, and that he was destined for enlightenment. Leaving the temple to go to Sanctuary, where he took up the Virgo Cloth at the tender age of seven had left him with skewed priorities and, quite frankly, an ego complex. Here and now, present-Shaka could see where past-Shaka had stumbled and begin to lose himself in ego and self-assurance, and where he was thrown back upon the path, rediscovering tenets he’d forgotten or disregarded.

And the second-past-Shaka hadn't had any memories of past-Shaka, either, and present-Shaka didn't really want to think about that life, cut brutally short in a nauseatingly horrific manner. He hadn't been Buddhist, either. Hadn't had the chance to be much of anything, really, other than a terrified kid out of his depth and in over his head.

And now there was present-Shaka, raised in a world without religion of any kind. Raised in a family, loved and safe and never needing to fight. In some ways, present-Shaka was more in line with the tenets of Buddhism than past-Shaka, and in others, wildly out of line. They were more compassionate now, but also more worldly. So worldly, attached more to people than to things, but still enjoying the comforts of life.

They didn't think they were capable of becoming Buddhist again. More damning, the majority of their brain did not even want to, and what was religion practiced out of a sense of duty and naught else? Nothing. Absolutely nothing but lip-service and pain. They sighed faintly, trying to come to terms with their decision. Was it the right one? Tears of frustration and genuine anguish began to finally trickle down their cheeks.

They heard the regular tread of heavy work boots along the corridor, and they pressed themself a little further into the corner. They flicked their Cosmo out to identify the newcomer non-visually, and relaxed a little when it was just Dohko. His footsteps stopped just next to Shaka, and there was the sound of something being pulled out from the wall, before the hissing sound of water being poured, and a buzz that heralded a quick-cook unit, and then the scent of sweet, milky green tea permeated the air. Past-Shaka would have been mildly disgusted by this treatment of the delicate green tea; it was present-Shaka’s favorite. Second-past-Shaka had rarely had the luxury to drink anything that wasn't water, and it had usually been juice of some kind, or milk.

Shaka looked up into Dohko’s kind, sympathetic smile and accepted the cup he held out to them, wiping their eyes with their other hand. Dohko slid down the wall to sit beside Shaka, and the two of them sipped their tea for a long moment.

“Hey Shaka. Why can't you trust big cats?” Dohko asked, sounding completely serious. Shaka looked up at him, confused.

“Why?” They asked cautiously. Was this some sort of trick question? Was Dohko calling himself untrustworthy?

“Because they're all a bunch of lion cheetahs.” Dohko deadpanned. It took Shaka a moment to comprehend the fact that Dohko had just made a truly terrible joke before they groaned, covering their eyes.

“You're as bad as Pa!” They accused, and Dohko turned an unrepentant grin on them.

“Yes, I wager I am. Got you to smile, though.” He said, looking far too pleased with himself. His expression sobered slightly. “Did you know that I honestly thought I was asexual?” Dohko said in a soft, conversational tone. “Not in the way that I was sex-repulsed or didn't want sex in any form, but in the way where I was perfectly content with my own two hands and some toys, no need to get another person involved at all. Maybe that's aromantic? I never was good at the defining lines of labels.” Dohko sighed, running a hand through his unruly brown curls. Shaka mourned the easy smile of a few moments ago, resting a gentle hand on Dohko’s arm. Dohko covered it with his own, giving Shaka’s hand a comforting squeeze.

“I think the point there was, well, we're all different people now. That's what's freaking you out, right? And, well, that's okay. The freaking out thing, I mean. I honestly think we all are, right now, but we're all compartmentalizing as best we can.” He smiled again, lopsided but sweet. “Let it come as it does. And remember that all of us are going through this, so you can talk to us. Now, we have forty years of neglect to clean up. Are you coming?” Shaka nodded, allowing Dohko to haul them to their feet. Their skirt had long been replaced with a sturdier pair of pants and their shirt with one they didn't mind losing to the cleaning process. They went with Dohko, down to the main hatch, accepting a rebreathing toxin filter, heavy synthleather gloves, and goggles and putting them on.

* * *

The cleaning teams were divided into Mû and Shion on one side and Dohko with Shaka on the other. Which left Kiki alone in the rickety cargo elevator to head to the bottom floor and the electronics. His goal was to get the incinerator and generators purged and working by the end of the day. He scowled as he slid the chain covered door open. Even through the rebreather unit, he could smell forty years of rust and fluid leaks. The thick boots slid on the floor, and as he adjusted the light units on the goggles, he could see a lovely thick pool of biodegradable machine lubricants and what he hoped was water.

The tubing on the ceiling and walls seemed fairly intact as it guided him down the hallway to the generator room. Upon opening the door Kiki discovered, much to his relief, most of the generator’s outer hull was intact, leaving only the question of the interior. He kicked open the jammed access hatch and slid into the heart of the system.

The last two week had been anarchy enough without the discovery of a mutual past life. He had enough trouble with his final project and half of the other lab rats swiping his spare parts. Kiki’s upper atmosphere particulate monitoring and collection system would have revolutionized twelve scientific and magical fields. If in the process of finishing the hull, his classmates hadn’t had the lab accident that led to him crawling through an out of date generator in some Athena forsaken forest, miles from anything reasonable, like decent caffeine or wifi sources. So much for getting into the university’s robotics and engineering department full ride.

On the other hand, this situation had given him a first hand look at space and moon-based engineering. During their supply and accidental-Shaka run, Kiki had half thought Mû had ditched him. Not that present-Kiki was terribly clingy, he huffed, starting to strip and repair circuits. On the contrary, it had been a marvel that Shion and Mû were letting him live in the dorms, rather than commute from home. They had the clinging problem, not him.

It was past-Kiki, or Kiki 1.0, who had that issue. After all, Mû had practically raised him, and then in the space of one day, he had been robbed of his mentor and father figure. Of course nobody had bothered to tell him initially. In the immediate aftermath, he had returned to Jamil, preparing the tea and bath once Seika had recovered, and the Greatest Eclipse had stopped. It was three days later when Athena herself had come to the door, carrying a Pandora’s Box.

_“Hello?” She called from the front of the tower_

_He perked up and bounded down the stairs to the secret door. “Lady Athena!” He beamed up at her before looking around. Mû wasn’t with her, perhaps he was still in Sanctuary, a lot of Cloths to repair and all probably. “Please come in,” he bowed her in and guided her to the kitchen, along with a third tea setting. “Is Master Mû busy?” He asked as he poured the tea._

_“No, I’m sorry,” that was when she set the box on the floor before him. “Aries Mû has died, he fell breaking the Wall of Lamentation alongside the other Gold Saints. I’ve come to ask you to Sanctuary to complete your training and take his place, Aries Kiki.”_

_Kiki stared at the box, the depicted Ram’s eyes met his. He could feel the Cloth’s Cosmo, inviting him, welcoming him. His throat ran dry, knees shaking until they gave out. He wanted to scream and refuse, in the manner only an eleven-year-old boy could, instead he responded as his role intended him to, “I accept, thank you, my Lady.” His voice barely registered to his own ears, before the boy kicked the Saint inside him aside and sobbed._

_Athena stayed, wrapped an arm around him and offered comfort while he grieved. She brought him some of the tea, which he refused to drink, in no mood for it. He wasn’t in much of a mood for anything. He doubted he ever would be again._

Back in the present, Kiki pressed his head against one steel wall, and violently stripped another wire before soldering the ends with his Cosmo. He rewrapped them, slammed the housing back into place, before he realized his goggles had fogged over. Not that he was crying, he most definitely wasn’t. The liquid that vented out through the moisture release valve on the side was clearly sweat. Leaking from his eyes, yes.

Besides, he puffed up, he had a good long time as the Aries Saint, training a dozen apprentices to Bronze and Silver along with his own successor, before dying of old age, well over a century old. Of course Shun as Pope had outlived him, but that was just how it went.

An age Mû knew nothing about. A _life_ Mû knew nothing about.

It bugged him far less that Shion didn’t know, he’d never had the pleasure of meeting the man last time, for all that Mû talked about him.

“Fucking _Mû_ and his stupid fucking _existence_!” Kiki snapped and hefted up the bag full of scraps to bust and toss in the incinerator.

He could barely remember how he had taken everything apart. His body worked on auto-pilot like that sometimes. He hauled the bag out through the hatch and over to the incinerator door. A few swift kicks to the control computer jogged the emergency battery into place and it booted up. Kiki flicked through the control computer and rerouted control of the generator to it, and within ten minutes the unbroken lights flickered to life and the incinerator’s carbon removal and recycle system roared back to life.

Once the bag was dumped, Kiki stared at the contents. A large sledgehammer near the incinerator door caught his eye and he hefted it awkwardly. He had some muscle yes, but not enough to use the hammer with any true finesse or technique. He lined up the components to scrap and he summoned forth Kiki 1.0 and his unresolved issues towards his mentor-turned-brother.

“Stupid! Fucking! Asshole! Leave me behind! You left me! Without anything! No last will even clinging to the fucking! Aries! Cloth! Left me alone! I hate you! I hate you! I HATE YOU!” Chest heaving, Kiki became aware that he was no longer alone in the room.

 _Kiki_ , Mû’s telepathic voice whispered.

 _What_? He answered flatly as he set down the sledgehammer.

_Do you want to talk?_

_What’s there to talk about? I’m doing swell. Glad not to have arthritis anymore, and hey my hands don’t shake when I try to hold things._

He could feel the reprimand forthcoming, braced for it even, but Mû said, _I’m_ _sorry_.

Kiki wanted to lash out, but the sledgehammer had taken most of his rage with it. _Oh. Um… I mean I know why… But like, you died, you bastard._

 _I know, I know Kiki, and I am sorry I left you alone_. Mû hung his head, arms outstretched.

Kiki pushed the conveyer lever and left the scraps to the mercy of the incinerator. He stalked over to the other man, wrapped him in a bone crushing hug, and picked him up. Unfortunately with the gesture, came the tears as he pressed his shrouded face to Mû’s chest.

 _You’re so stupid and if you ever try and do anything remotely like that again, I am dragging your ass back so I can kill you myself for being that stupid._ He nuzzled in, shoulders heaving.

Mû patted Kiki’s back, more out of habit than physical contact through the thick synthleather. _I love you, Kiki._

 _Love you too,_ Kiki let Mû go. _I take it you had an actual reason for ditching Shion and his army of cleaning units._

His brother nodded, _air and lunch break. That and Shion and I, um, may have had a disagreement._

A low whistle echoed over the psychic airwaves. _Musta been bad if you’re here for me._

 _I, er, told him that he really needs to go talk to Dohko because right now they are operating on a relationship in which neither of them knows one another as they are now. Sooner or later someone or something is going to come to a head._ Mû heaved a sigh, _we needed some space, and so I came to collect you._

 _Alright then, I’ve done about all I can until the systems purge a few times, then I can really get to work_. Kiki stretched before they headed off for the elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went through about four different versions before we finally settled on this one. Potential alternate titles included: "Everyone has issues" and "why communication is important".


	5. Draco - Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter deals with implied gruesome death, implied torture, involuntary child abandonment, and EXPLICIT medical realism! 
> 
> For the sake of your brains, don't look up the medical condition called river blindness referenced here. I did it so you all didn't have to.
> 
> In other words, this chapter is very dark! But, uh. We hope you like it???? Next chapter is going to be much happier, we promise!

Shion straightened up and knocked on the door of Dohko’s cabin, feeling uneasy. It was two days after his argument with Mû, and Shion had finally, nervously conceded that his brother had a point. “Dohko? Are you here?”

“Yeah,” the door opened a moment later, “I was actually about to come see you.”

“Think we need to talk?”

“Yeah.” Shion’s white-blond hair swayed slightly as he nodded, and Dohko’s fingers twitched slightly, resisting the urge to stroke a hand through that pretty mass of hair.

Both men made their way to Lady Danger’s galley and sat down at the table. Silence prevailed until both started to speak at the same time.

“Please, go ahead,” Shion motioned politely.

Dohko shook his head, “no, really, you first.”

The Aries Saint steeled himself before he spoke. “About the other night… do you think perhaps, we could slow down? Get to, well, get to know each other again?”

Dohko nodded and sighed in relief, “that would be amazing, actually. I was talking with Shaka about it the other day, when we first got to base. And well, I remember being Libra Dohko, but, I’m not him as much as I am me. Did that even make sense?”

“Yes,” Shion nodded, “I remember being who I was, but having grown up under vastly different circumstances…” he trailed off and glanced to the quick-cook unit. “Maybe we could start with tea and getting to know one another?”

“Sounds great, also, um,” Dohko hesitated as he stood up, “would it be alright if we didn’t have sex for a little while? Just until we get ourselves sorted out?”

The Aries Saint appeared briefly worried, “did… um… oh no…” He clapped his hands over his mouth, horrified.

“Hey, easy Shion,” He strode over and took the man’s hands gently, “I wanted it, I don’t regret it. I enjoyed it, and I think I’d like to do it again. I just, as I am now I thought I was some flavor of asexual or aromantic or something. I just need some time, and it will give both of us a chance to sort ourselves out and get to know one another like you said.” He smiled reassuringly, stroking Shion’s cheek gently.

The Libra Saint waited until Shion had calmed, when both of them startled at the chime on the quick-cook unit. A relaxed, awkward smile crossed both men’s faces. Dohko finished preparing the tea, and brought both mugs over. He slid into his seat once more and held up a finger, an idea occurring to him. “Maybe we could go for a hike tomorrow? Make a patrol of the area and a date? Just like old times!” He smiled. Two birds with one stone, that sounded pretty good.

Shion perked up at that, “I do enjoy a good hike, and I think the others could use one day off while the system finishes recycling the cleaning chemicals.” He said, smiling shyly

“Then it’s a date!” Dohko said, winking extravagantly.

A faint knock came on the doorframe of the galley. Both men looked up to see Shaka at the door, leaning heavily against the frame. They looked twelve kinds of terrible, as if awakening from some indescribable nightmare. At once Dohko and Shion stood and helped them to a seat. The Libra Saint gently stroked their back while the Aries Saint fetched a glass of water.

“Shaka,” Shion whispered, “what is it? What happened?” Shaka shook their head and drank their water, fine golden strands somehow just as limp and lethargic as the rest of them. Dohko squeezed their shoulder gently.

“Come on, kiddo, if you tell us maybe we can help,” his voice was gentle, and Shaka looked up at him nervously.

“There’s something I haven’t told you… any of you… but I don’t want to say it more than once. C-Could you please bring Mû and Kiki up?” They mumbled, before taking a small sip of the water. They looked weirdly guilty, and Dohko rubbed gently at their shoulders, wordlessly trying to reassure the Virgo Saint.

A few minutes later, both the remaining Aries Saints appeared in the door, silently finding space, Mû at the last chair and Kiki on a counter. Dohko squeezed their shoulder, “we’re all here now, take your time.”

Shaka swallowed and began, “I remember another life, in addition to the one we all shared. It was some time ago, my best guess is about five hundred years from what I can remember. Most of that life is in bits and pieces, but the last year of it is the strongest. Sanctuary had fallen some years before… I- I don’t know what happened to Lady Athena,” they answered preemptively. “But, by that point most of the Cloths had been-” Shaka clapped a hand over their mouth as the memory returned, “most of the Cloths had been destroyed, and we had no smith to repair our own. By that point there were five of us left, four Gold Saints, and me, Andromeda Anatoly.”

Despite the gravity of the story, both Mû and Kiki quirked an eyebrow at that detail. The Virgo Saint and the Andromeda Saint were oddly intertwined at this point, almost as much as the Andromeda and Phoenix Saints.

Shaka took another sip of water before they continued. “We made a good run of it, keeping the few Cloths we could hidden, but in the end… of the four Gold Saints, three died buying my mentor and I a chance to escape. I-I think their souls were devoured, I can’t recall any detail about them apart from their constellations. It’s like they never even existed…” They shuddered but steeled themself, “the dragons caught up to us three months later, just before the turning of the year. My mentor, he was the Virgo Saint, sealed me and the other four Cloths some place safe, the last cache of Cloths and hope for the future.”

They sucked in a trembling breath, hands shaking now. Dohko murmured for them to take their time, and they covered their face with their hands, breathing deeply, before looking back up and continuing. “It was only a matter of time I suppose… I was a thirteen year old apprentice and in well over my head and out of my depth…” he smiled weakly. “Did you know dragons are like cats? They like to play with their food…” Shaka clapped a hand over their mouth once more and Dohko guided them quickly to the sink, holding their hair out of the way. Once they finished clearing the contents of their stomach, and both sink and mouth had been rinsed out, Shaka slumped into their seat once more, still shaking. “I don’t know why my soul didn’t perish like theirs. I could feel my soul slowly being shredded, and then it was like I was blanketed in something soft and warm. But here I am. I apologize for failing in my duty.” He bowed his head, and everyone exchanged startled looks.

“You didn't, fuck, Shaka, you didn't _fail_ ,” Mû mumbled, wiping a hand across his eyes. Kiki nodded, looking grim.

Shion gently blanketed them in a wave of reassurance and comfort. “You performed admirably, and, if I may, I could try to find out what saved you, if you'd like to know.” At their nod, he closed his eyes stretching out his senses, “I can feel a faint protective fire around your Cosmo, it feels like the last remnants of a Cloth.”

“Fire?” Their eyes widened, “but then..”

“What were the Cloths you were tasked with protecting?” Shion pressed gently.

“The last five were Andromeda, my own Cloth, and Draco, Cygnus, Pegasus, and Phoenix.”

The other four glanced to one another. The former Grand Master pressed a hand to Shaka’s shoulder, “thank you Shaka, this can’t have been easy. Dohko? Would you take Shaka back to their quarters so they can rest?”

“Of course,” the Libra Saint gently helped them from the seat once more and they left the galley.

The three Aries Saints turned their attention to one another. “What now?” Mû steepled his fingers and rested his forehead against them, looking kind of drained. “There are five of us, we have no Cloths, no goddess, and no resources. We’ll be up against an army that took down the previous Gold Saints.”

“Sounds like fun,” Kiki grinned, “I’m in.”

Shion nodded as he stood up, “as am I. We’ve been reborn for a reason. And I’m certain the first Saints were in much the same shape as we are now. No Cloths, no resources, just trust in the will of Athena and in one another.”

Mû straightened in his seat, “I suppose the odds could be worse. At least now we have a base of operation. The next question I suppose is resources and Cloth creation. There are three of us, along with Shaka, and Dohko. Does this make us all three Aries?”

“Like fuck I’m going to be a Bronze or Silver, you trained me to succeed you and I did.” Kiki scowled briefly, “ ‘sides not like you’d do that even though we got Shion too.” Mû nodded, looking faintly troubled.

“I wouldn’t ask you too, we have no Sanctuary now to pass on tradition, we’re going to start from scratch, such as the thing with wearing a mask based only on gender identity and tradition, that’s right out.” Shion nodded firmly, though a faint pang of guilt ran through him, its source the past-Shion. Shion squashed it ruthlessly. “Though on the subject of all of us as Aries, how are we going to manage that for Cloths? Would they be three separate entities, sharing the same celestial Cosmo?” He rubbed his chin curiously, wishing for pen and paper for a moment, before remembering the datpad in his pocket. He pulled it out and created a new file, sliding it to the middle of the table and giving Kiki and Mû administrative access.

“Dunno, how are we gonna deal with the blood requirement? And where the fuck are we supposed to get stardust, orichalcum, and tools in this place?” Kiki continued, making a couple notes on the more practical side of things. “I can think of a few solutions off the top of my head for the blood. Small donations from one person over a long period of time is one, but that’d take for-fucking-ever. Um, another is taking all of our blood and just keying it to the last blood signature somehow…?” he trailed off, frowning darkly as he ran some calculations. Mû added his own.

“If the last donation of blood was the largest, that might be enough to override the rest. Though there’s three Aries Saints, all three of us donating for the first Cloth could very well skew it over and make it Aries. That could be inconvenient.” He murmured, and Shion typed over some suggestions.

Over the course of the next two hours, Shion, Mû, and Kiki compiled a list of ideas and materials. They would see if Dohko knew anyone in the Resistance who knew anything about acquiring orichalcum and stardust. As to the blood requirement, since part of it was Cosmo linked, synthetics were probably out. Instead they decided that small, safe levels of donation from a group would work, and the Cloth would be left unfinished until the intended Saint could provide the final donation and hopefully bind them properly. After they finished, the three Aries Saints agreed to go tackle some more cleaning and process through Shaka’s story.

* * *

The next day, Shion and Dohko went out on their hike, spending a very pleasant couple of hours exploring the surrounding rainforest, pausing to ensure that the camouflage shielding was working correctly, as Kiki had requested before heading on, taking a gradually spiraling route out. They spoke comfortably about their present lives, learning about each other. They paused after a while, the Libra Saint tossing over a canteen and Shion catching it gratefully. “Say Dohko,” Shion flipped open the top, “does anyone in the Resistance know where we could obtain orichalcum and stardust?” He asked after taking a long draught.

Dohko raised an eyebrow and sat on a fallen log. “I’d have to ask. At a guess probably a raid on a Psy League facility or a Mage College, why- oh! Wait, you mean you are going to try and make a Cloth?” He asked excitedly.

“Why not?” Shion answered after he finished his swig of water. “Something evil is happening in the world, as a Saint, I feel it is my responsibility to put a stop to it.” He said, quiet, firm resolve coloring his words.

Dohko stretched and pouted, “pity, I was enjoying retirement. But if you insist,” he grinned, “I’ll come out of retirement to help the world.”

Shion smiled and handed him the canteen, “then with your permission, Libra will be the test subject for the Cloth reforging project. You’ll be involved in the design process if you want.”

“Always been curious how you three made them,” he beamed before frowning, “you hear that?”

Senses stretched, the Aries Saint heard a rustle in the underbrush. He climbed over another fallen log to find a small child trembling in the underbrush. “Oh little one what are you doing out here?” He scooped the unresisting, half-conscious child to him, frowning as he saw numerous cuts, bug bites, and bruises and could feel them radiating a fever. Their eyes seemed to be swollen shut as well, scratch-marks that looked to be from the child’s nails covering the thin skin there. “Dohko, help me get them back to the ship.” He said, emerging cradling the child gently.

The Libra Saint stood as the man returned, and his eyes widened at the sight of the child. They were on the smaller side, with tangled, matted black hair, soft-olive toned skin dirty and flushed darkly from fever. Their clothes were equally torn and dirty. Dohko’s Cosmo flared with painful recognition. “Shiryû?!” His tone grew worried, “this way, quickly.”

They ran back through the dense foliage to the ship. Once onboard, Dohko drew up a shallow, lukewarm bath in his cabin, while Shion stripped off what was left of Shiryû’s clothes. Once lowered into the bath, Shion settled on the floor beside it while Dohko disappeared back outside. A few minutes later and he returned with a fully equipped medical examination unit.

“Do you have supplies for children onboard?” Shion asked as Dohko took a seat on the floor, setting the medunit on the floor and turning it on, pulling the diagnostic unit off and setting it gently on the child’s chest. The unit hummed to life, faint red light scanning the child, and Dohko nodded.

“Most survivors of a Psy League raid are little kids who hid when they came.” His eyes fell to Shiryû, “and now my son is-” he hesitated, the child wasn't his son, not the way that past-Shiryû had been past-Dohko’s child in all but blood. “They definitely look like Shiryû when he was this age.” He settled on.

At that moment the child’s stirred faintly, cracked, bloody lips parting in a soft, heartbreaking plea. “Mum? Ma?”

Dohko worried his lip, they definitely _sounded_ like Shiryû too. “I’m sorry kiddo… we only found you.”

“It was loud and scary and they told me to hide… and then I was alone and I ran for help…” The child shivered, and Dohko gently steadied the scanning unit.

“I’m sorry,” Dohko replied, “my name is Dohko, I use he/him, this is my hus- my boyfriend, Shion, who uses he/him. What’s your name?”

“My name is Shiryû, I’m a boy too. Why am I so sleepy? Why can't I open my eyes?” The boy yawned, seemingly too lethargic for any real distress. The medunit flashed a light, indicating that the scan was finished, and Shion reached out and turned the volume down as the unit began to speak in a soothing, though robotic voice.

“Patient is roughly six years, three months, biological male. Medical scan indicates, in order of severity; identified: dehydration, severe. Recommended treatment, immediate saline IV treatment. Identified: onchocerciasis, colloquial name ‘river blindness’, severe. Patient likelihood of complete loss of vision: 93%. Recommended treatment: full-spectrum antibiotics to eliminate bacteria produced by parasitic worms, targeted anti-parasitic treatment to destroy parasitic worms. Targeted dermal regeneration to remove skin lumps and inert parasitic tissue recommended after antibiotic and antiparasitic regimens completed. Patient may undergo visual correction surgery: recommended to delay until late twenties due to developing neural tissue.” Shion looked nauseous and horrified, and Dohko grim. The medunit continued.

“Identified: influenza A, subtype H1N1, moderate. Recommended treatment due to age of patient and compromised immune system: targeted antiviral regimen to avoid complications such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Identified: multiple lacerations and contusions of the skin in early stages of infection, moderate. Recommended treatment: thorough washing, application of topical antibiotic cream, and bandaging. Identified: malnutrition, early stage, minor. Recommended treatment: slow reintroduction of nutrients to the system, using prepared therapeutic food supplements until such time as regular food may be reintroduced to the system, in approximately two weeks. Identified: head lice infestation, minor. Recommended treatment: shaving of the hair in afflicted area and application of topical cream to kill, dissolve, and remove lice, eggs, and nits.” The medunit hummed, and the diagnostic unit beeped gently, and Dohko removed it and reattached it to the unit in a daze. “Preliminary survey indicates two caretakers, and first aid response of lukewarm shallow bath to mitigate fever. Shall this unit engage in medical treatment?” It fell silent, awaiting a response, and Dohko breathed on a shuddery sigh.

“Affirmative,” he said, subdued, and the medunit began to unfold it's carbon fiber skeleton, inflating the vinyl exoskin before bending jerkily and picking up the half of the medunit that contained medication and supplies.

“Please drain the bath and sit the patient up for hair removal,” the drone said, and they moved to comply, letting the drone shave the boy’s head and apply the cream to kill the head lice so that they wouldn't contaminate the sickbed. Ten minutes later they gently washed it off and washed Shiryû with the antibacterial soap that the drone provided, before applying antibacterial ointment and bandages under its soothing robotic instruction. The robot then produced a child-sized hospital gown and followed them docily to the bedroom, where it laid an absorbent mat over the bed before they laid Shiryû down. Then it pulled out a collapsible IV stand and sterile, packaged tubing and needles, hooking Shiryû gently up to a bag of saline, followed quickly by the antibacterial and antiviral solutions. The antiparasitic would have to wait until after the antiviral, to avoid any possible drug interactions, it informed them. It then informed them that they would need vaccines and the two of them also needed to wash with the antibacterial soap, and dispose of Shiryû’s hair and clothes, which it had deposited into a biohazard bag, as soon as possible.

They washed in silence first, thoroughly cleaning skin and hair before using the washes the medunit had given them for their eyes, noses, mouths and ears, an entirely awful and unpleasant process for both of them. They returned, and the unit gave them their vaccinations, before they dropped Shiryû’s bagged hair and clothes in the ship's incinerator.

Shion sighed heavily, sitting down in the tiny living area of Dohko’s quarters, in full view of both sickbed and medunit. Dohko flopped down next to him after putting both their clothes into the wash on a sterilization cycle. Shion turned to Dohko with troubled eyes.

“Since we were talking about it before, I’m think there should be a minimum age restriction, no one under say what, fifteen, sixteen?” Dohko proposed, and Shion’s eyes lightened slightly.

“Agreed. My present self is quite disgusted with the memories of being perfectly fine with rampant child endangerment.” He sighed heavily, the emotional impact of finding Shiryû leaving him more exhausted than he felt he should be.

“Same,” the Libra Saint nodded. “But on a related note, is it even appropriate for us to have a Draco Saint given the situation?” Shion bit his lip.

“That I don’t know. But I’d say we can revisit that one at a later time when we have more of us and another possible candidate for the Cloth.” He decided, and Dohko agreed.

“Alright then, once we finish up here, I’ll see what I can start doing about getting us supplies. We're probably going to need a medical resupply sooner than we think.” He sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

“We need to get Shaka, Mû, and Kiki vaccinated, too.” Shion yawned, leaning heavily into Dohko’s side, and he wrapped his arm around the Aries Saint.

“Catch a brief nap first. The medunit can wake us if anything needs our attention, or he wakes up.” Dohko said, covering a yawn of his own. The medunit robotically agreed, and they slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We promise Shiryû's going to be okay, other than going blind and dealing with the disappearance/death of his mothers.
> 
> ALSO the medunit is basically Baymax from BH6. :)


	6. Gemini - Transition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because the previous chapter got sort of heavy all around, we decided to go ahead and post the next one today. So have something a little lighter and fluffier. Also Saga is a sound->color synesthete.

“And that is the last of it!” Kanon let out a whoop as the last of the boxes slid home in the truck. “Come on Saga, you’re going to be late!”

“It’s your fault that you decided to set me up on a blind date on moving day.” Saga approached, adjusting his collar for the sixteenth time. On the one hand he wished he could get away with Kanon’s attire, booty shorts and a tank top, but on the other he wanted to make a decent first impression. Even if this date didn’t pan out.

Kanon stretched, sticking his tongue out at Saga, “I’m just trying to look out for my big bro. Besides we go do this, then I drop you at therapy, I deal with all the boring paperwork and shit, and bam, you come home to the moving bots doing what they do.”

For once Saga had to concede his brother’s point, he didn’t actually have much to do. “You’ll still be nearby if I need you?”

“Duh,” Kanon rolled his eyes, “the gear shop across the street from the café has some new zero-g skates and a board, this next paycheck is our splurge checks, you for your hot piece of ass, and me for top of the line work equipment.”

Saga refrained from pointing out that what Kanon did for a living hardly qualified as ‘work’. Being a renowned extreme sports athlete was hardly a steady job in Saga’s opinion, but he couldn’t deny his brother made far more money than he did as an assistant professor of archaeology. It was what had let them purchase the house they’d grown up in before their father had moved them away. Kanon stepped away from the truck door, coordinates programmed in for delivery. He stepped over to his bike, the magnetic repulsion system primed and the wheels ready to go. Saga found the bright pink kitten-sticker-covered helmet, and pulled it onto his head. The visor closed and the datlens visor asked if he wished to customize the display or leave it as the default, in this case a kitty face emoji. Unable to think of anything better, he left it as the default as he climbed on behind Kanon, arms locked around his brother’s waist.

“You act like every time I drive that I’m going to get us killed,” Kanon complained over the com system as he pushed the bike upright. “I promise I’ll even go the speed limit.”

“I hate you just a little for the record.” Saga muttered as they set off.

“Love you too big bro.”

The engine revved as Kanon took off like a shot, the wheelie maneuver making Saga latch on even tighter. But with the initial shock fading, so too did his anxiety. Not that he would ever remotely admit to being an adrenaline junkie like his brother, but it was nice now and then to shake off the doldrums of his normal life. They raced down the street, and true to his word, Kanon obeyed the speed limit, but little else. By the time they reached the café it was ten minutes before the date and Kanon tapped his datpad to the pay machine as he parked.

Saga removed the helmet and clipped it to the seat. “You’re going to get arrested someday and I won’t front you bail.”

Kanon offered him a loving flip off as he took off his own helmet. “Yeah, yeah.” He pocketed the datpad. “Now, let’s go over the plan one more time. Got your notecards?”

The professor withdrew a stack of notecards from his pocket. “Here.”

“Good, and you remember what to do if shit goes sideways?” He draped around his older brother’s shoulders.

Saga sighed, “I hit the anxiety button on my datpad, and it will call you automatically. You come in with a line about our dog being in the veterinary hospital for complications after her surgery.”

Kanon ruffled his hair, “you got it. I’ll be in the shop over here or the one next door if you don’t alright.”

At that the professor nodded, and steeled himself as he headed into the shop. After ordering a triple caramel latte with whip cream on top, he settled at a corner table with his datlenses and datpad, pulling up the archaeological journal he had spent the last two months obsessed with. In one corner though, he kept up the picture of the man he was meeting, gaze flicking up every time the door chimed. Once Saga’s drink had arrived it occurred briefly to him that Kanon would laugh at him for his drink. At least in part because it was the same sort of overly saccharine monstrosity that his brother usually drank. Most days he took his coffee black but once in awhile an indulgence was nice.

Mouth busied with the whip cream, Saga heard the door open for a fourth time and froze. The newcomer matched the picture at the corner of his datlenses. He flicked them back away from his face as the other person ordered, their own eyes scoured the café through their own device set. The newcomer spotted him and made his way over to the table. For his part the archaeologist’s breath caught, at least the newcomer was physically stunning. He was short and lean, his dark russet curls were cropped with a sleek undercut. A brief thought of how nice those lips would be for kissing crossed his mind.

“Is this seat taken?” The newcomer asked, tenor voice a pleasant grey-blue swirl.

“No, please, sit,” Saga half stood from his own seat, setting his drink aside. “Camus, yes?”

“Yes, he/him, and you’re Saga, then?” The other man slung his satchel off his shoulder and onto the back of the chair.

“I am, he/him.” The archaeologist offered his hand, which Camus shook briefly.

As the pair settled at the table, Camus gestured to his lip. “I, er, I don’t mean to alarm you, but you seem to have a whip cream mustache?”

Saga started at that, hastily wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Thank you,” he nodded as he set the napkin aside.

“Of course,” he smiled and folded up his own datlenses. Camus’s eyes flicked down past the table.

Taking the opportunity, Saga’s own gaze fell to the cards in his lap. He read one of the questions before his gaze returned to the other man. “So, Camus, you’re also working for the university?”

“Yes, the department of thaumaturgy,” he answered before his earl grey latte with vanilla arrived. “I’m finishing up my doctorate in magical artifacts.”

“I see,” he nodded, “my main interest is archaeology, but I am interested in the subject.”

Camus blinked as he took a sip of his drink. “Really? This is the point of the conversation where my date’s eyes usually glaze over as I wax poetic about runic lore or orichalcum grafting techniques.”

Saga wracked his brain for a moment. “I recall reading something about a grafting technique in the last issue of the university’s archaeology journal.” He tried to remember what the name of it was, “isorunic conversion?”

“Yes, it’s a technique for binding an elemental property to an object. It became the basis for circuit binding.” He explained, taking a pen and napkin to draw out a diagram.

“Fascinating.” The archaeologist leaned over, notecards unceremoniously spilling onto the floor.

Camus raised an eyebrow, as Saga slumped back into his seat. “Notecards?”

“My brother’s idea,” he grumbled as he ducked to retrieve them. When he sat up he found the TA’s comm on the table, the message made him raise an eyebrow. “Texting?”

“Confession… my sister set me up on this date…” Camus sighed as he pocketed his device. “She keeps saying I need to get out more… and since I hadn’t been on a date in eight months, she set me up on one.”

“My brother set me up, seeing how it’s been a year and all…” Saga nodded, “want to try and make this work?”

“Considering you’re the first person I’ve talked to outside the department who has even shown interest in what I do, sure.” The TA flashed him an awkward, hopeful smile.

The archaeologist slipped the notes into his pocket as his gaze fell once more to the diagram on the napkin. “So, isorunic conversion?”

“Yes,” Camus nodded, and pulled a second napkin over, drawing a second diagram. “Now, this is a normal polyrunic or circuit conversion. Notice the difference?”

“Yes, this one is longer, less intricate.” Saga traced the design with his finger.

“Exactly, now, a few months ago there was an excavation in the Sunken Isles, and they unearthed a large bowl-like structure with strange metal rails.” He pulled out his comm again and opened the journal article.

The archaeologist’s eyes widened, “I was reading about this! There was a proposal about this from the art history department, a collaborative research effort. But the TA who submitted the proposal never showed up at our meeting to go over it. He quit and disappeared without warning several weeks ago.”

“How odd,” Camus mused, “what did you make of the markings on the inner portion of the bowl?”

“I’m inclined to say some sort of acceleration spell bound into the wall. These here,” he gestured to several pictograms near the apparent rune set. “These remind me of a zero-g board.”

The TA arched an eyebrow at that, “you don’t strike me as an extreme sports fanatic.”

“My brother is-” Saga’s statement was cut short as the wall next to them exploded and the building collapsed atop them.

* * *

_Aquarius?_

Silence.

_Please I need you._

No answer.

_Have you forsaken me? Answer me, please, Aquarius!_

No answer came. Not even a hint of the Cloth’s natural Cosmo. An absence in the universe where it should be.

His eyes slit open, dust filled his lungs as darkness met his gaze. What had he been doing? The Wall of Lamentation had broken and then… what had happened? He lifted his hand to the rubble, his Cosmo chilled it enough to shatter. More rubble, his hand lifted as he coughed out, “Diamond Dust!”

The frozen vortex cleared the way above him and he sat up, a thick trail of blood slid down from his head over his face and neck. That would need treatment, but first he had to finish this fight(?), Aquarius Cloth or no. Camus climbed out of the rubble pile. Nearby he saw a man, dark hair mussed with dust and debris, shirt and trousers torn, eyes fixed on the epicenter of the blast. Another man, this one identical to the first stood there, radiating a blazing, familiar Cosmo.

Camus frowned, why had he been fighting Gemini Saga? Or was it Kanon? His mind raced, no, there hadn’t been a fight, there had however been a date… he had been on a date with _Saga_?! And enjoyed it?! He put that thought aside as he stumbled through the wreckage. From the look of it, Kanon, as he belatedly recognized the nearby twin, had leveled three city blocks in all directions with Galaxian Explosion.

Kanon’s shoulders heaved as he tilted his head back to the sky. “Gemini Kanon,” Camus shouted as loudly as he could, “stand down.”

“Huh?” Kanon blinked, “who are you?!”

“Aquarius Camus, or don’t you remember me?” He staggered over.

“C-Camus?” Saga stammered as he made his way to the Aquarius Saint. “What’s going on?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” Camus replied, as he did an injury diagnostic on himself. His left arm was shattered, there was a deep cut on his head and the probability he was concussed was alarmingly high, and he had at least one bruised, potentially cracked, rib. He let his Cosmo work, freezing things into place until he could get proper treatment.

“Saga,” Kanon wobbled over to them, “the fuck just happened?! And who’s the tiny man?”

“Aquar- Camus, my name is Camus, and we need to get out of here.” His senses cast out, wishing now more than ever he had Milo here, the Scorpio Saint had impeccable assensing skills.

Two psychic voids opened up nearby, threaded with a thin string of an unnatural Cosmo pulling it like a puppet. The Aquarius Saint swallowed as the malice and hatred in the foreign Cosmo washed over him. Camus winced, without his Cloth and injured as he was, he wouldn’t be good much longer.

“Saga, Kanon, if you could do something, now would be the time.”

“What do you want me to do?!” Kanon accused, “I don’t know what the fuck’s going on!”

Saga looked too outright terrified to speak. Camus sighed and interposed himself between the downright _evil_ feeling Cosmo void thread things, amnesia seemed to have afflicted the Gemini Saints, of course that would be his luck. Hands clasped and raised, his Cosmo rose, frost coating the ground at his feet as mist hung in the air about him. His hands lowered, aimed at what had to be his enemies, “AURORA EXECUTION!” He bellowed, a torrent of frigid air encasing the two figures, locking them into place. At least his cryokinesis hadn’t lost any of its potency.

He needed to get Saga and Kanon out now, back to Sanctuary. But that would require light speed movement, between his injuries and lack of Cloth, trying to move that fast would likely rip him apart, never mind Saga and Kanon. How to get out? How to get out? He wracked his brain until he saw a manhole cover. A distant, foggy image of a safe house and a map to it appeared, but why and for what purpose? Camus could reason that out later, for the moment he aimed another Diamond Dust, this time at the manhole cover and kicked the embrittled metal. The smell wasn’t terrible, especially if he used his Cosmo to chill the air. “Saga, Kanon, come on.”

“Why?” Kanon questioned, even as he dragged Saga towards the opening.

“We need to regroup, make our way back to Sanctuary and-” he paused abruptly, the Aquarius Saint’s eyes wide. He should be _dead._

_All three of us should be dead._

Camus clutched his head, mind trying to resolve the disconnect. He was vaguely aware of Kanon shouting and bemoaning the loss of ‘Daisy’ who or whatever that was. He had died at the Wall of Lamentation one final time, alongside Saga, and then… he was two, and there had been a nightmare. It had been the first time his cryokinetic “magic” had manifested. No psychic powers, and he was scared of his abilities. His parents never knew, initially because he was scared of what he could do, and later what he learned about mages and psychics from his siblings in the Resistance. An unregistered mage so deep in the closet he could see a lamppost… his siblings had joined the Resistance and afterwards he had told them. Mages awakening didn’t have the same psychic flare as actual psychics, but their powers were physical, thus harder to hide. They kept him hidden, helped, and he in turn provided what little information he could.

Sirens and roars caught his attention. Camus’s head snapped up, a massive skeletal beast descended from the skies. It looked like someone had grafted the upper half of a crow skeleton onto the tail of a snake’s, only both were the size of buildings. The bleached bones dripped with something as dark and slick as raw oil, a Cosmo, vast, and hungry. Even as he sat there he could feel the dragon’s Cosmo consuming the energy from Saga and Kanon. The twins fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Camus moved towards them, the weight of the Cosmo against his threatened to crush him.

The sirens resolved themselves into several armored cars with psychic drones inside. Two of them though moved forward, past the line of lascannon equipped drones and the dragon. “ **Grab the mage** ,” the deep, inhuman voice growled, “ **bring the psychics. They’ll make good fodder.** ”

The two approaching them started to shift form. Well, shift form was an entirely too kind way of putting it. Camus felt bile rise in the back of his throat as he watched their flesh bubble, bones snapped and reset, sinew twisted and constricted. One grew a bear’s head and forelimbs with the back end of a horse, the other took on a serpentine body but retained the human upper torso, head, and arms. Both sped towards them.

Saga froze, a full deer in the headlights expression plastered on his face. Kanon wore the same look and voiced the thought both doubtless had. “What the actual fuck are those?!”

Camus imposed himself between the twins and, at a guess, the chimerae, from what he remembered his siblings telling him about their last skirmish. He lifted his hands once more, Cosmo pushed to the limit, “AURORA EXECUTION!” He screamed again as his hands lowered. Thick tombs of ice engulfed the attackers, dragon and drones included. He dropped to a knee, coughing, at this rate it wouldn’t matter if he froze his ribs together, he’d puncture a lung first.

The ice encasing the dragon shattered in pillars of black fire and primal hatred. The beast stalked towards them on the bones where its wrists would be, crushing several frozen drones and one of the chimera. Camus tackled Saga and Kanon out of the way of the massive beak. “Saga, Kanon, if you two could do something that would be _amazing!_ ” He growled, irritated.

“You keep talking as if you know us in a way we don’t. We’re not psychics. Or mages. Or anything!” Saga complained as he wobbled to his feet.

The dragon wheeled about from the reckless charge as Camus rolled his eyes, “you’re incredibly psychic, I’ve shared your senses for Athena’s sake!”

Saga recoiled, bewildered, even as Kanon stood up, face strangely set. A strange expression crossed Saga face, before he too stood, moving as though he was sleepwalking. He stood beside Kanon, arms outstretched, while his brother raised an arm overhead.

“GOLDEN TRIANGLE!”

“ANOTHER DIMENSION!”

The dragon vanished in a flare of Cosmo and light. The twins fell to the ground, staring at the spot the beast had been on mere moments before. “What did we just do?” Saga whispered, voice cracked.

“How the fuck should I know?” Kanon replied.

Camus struggled to his feet, comm cracked but functional, and dialled his sister hastily. “Octopus, it’s me, listen, something happened, I’m heading to the safe house with some friends, is there someone who can get us out? There is? Great. Thanks. Yes, I know, but there's a crisis on right now. Yes. You too.” He pocketed it, having promised his distressed sister an explanation when they were safe. “Saga, Kanon, come on. I know a safe house.”

“Safe house?” Kanon tilted his head as he helped his brother up.

“Yes… we can get there through the sewers.” He nodded to the manhole again, and Kanon helped Saga and Camus in.

The three made their way down, the natural layer of frigid air Camus exerted kept the stench and damp from bothering them. Kanon bounced up front, LED flashlight out, “where did you learn to do that?”

“I- it- this… I remember living an entire life… I remember dying three times, and then I’ve had a whole life anew… and- and-” with the danger passed, Camus’s composure crumbled. Hyperventilating and scared, a sheet of frost formed along his skin. No, focus, he had to get them to safety, and then to Sanctuary. Hopefully someone there could help them. “Come on, climb up through here,” he shook off the panic even as two sets of memories clashed within him, making the pain in his head reach migraine level.

The narrow, rickety ladder led to a door. He punched in a passcode and unlatched it. They climbed up into a small, dim room. There wasn’t much in it, a toilet curtained off from the rest of the room, a couple shelves held spare changes of clothing in vacuum sealed bags. And a small food unit with pills sat in the far corner next to a wall mounted datpad.

Saga and Kanon both slumped onto the worn rug as the door hiss closed behind them. “Will someone please explain to me what’s going on?” Saga asked, tone tinged with quiet desperation.

“I’ll try… but this makes no sense to me, we should be dead.”


	7. Aquarius - Recollection

“What do you mean we should be dead?” Saga asked suspiciously. He wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. His head felt like it was trying to split open, and something deep inside him struggled to come forth.

“What I mean,” Camus answered as he withdrew a small medkit from the shelf, “is that you and I and Kanon all died before. In our case,” he gestured between Saga and himself, “three times. Once during the Battle for Sanctuary, the second time when we betrayed the forces of Hades, and the third and final time when we destroyed the Wall of Lamentation in the Underworld to allow the Bronze Saints passage into Elysium. Kanon died only once, as he killed the General of the Underworld Rhadamanthys, and sent you the Gemini Cloth, so that we could break the Wall.”

“Hey bro, this one may be the craziest one yet.” Kanon whispered in his twin’s ear, leaning heavily against Saga.

Saga frowned, he stared at the hand he’d raised earlier in their defense. Something told him that they had cast the dragon from their particular plane of reality. “Considering what we did to that dragon… that  _ dragon _ …? We’re screwed either way.”

“Fair,” Kanon flopped onto his brother, who began to absently stroke one of the shaved sides of his head. Saga looked over at Camus, who was using the diagnostic unit to catalogue his injuries.

“Camus… that was a dragon, right? That- that  _ thing _ ?” He asked, unable to suppress a visceral shudder. He saw a similar shiver shake Camus’s thin shoulders, and Kanon clutched at his leg, pressing his face into Saga’s hip. Saga devoted both hands to his brother’s hair, pulling out the ponytail and unweaving the tightly braided portion over his skull, relieving the pressure that itched at his own skull in a faint phantom ache.

“...yes. I honestly don't know how, or why, unless…” the redhead tapped his lips with a finger, as the one and a half foot tall ‘mini’ version medbot unfolded from the medkit. Camus sighed as the ‘bot began to clean and bandage his head.

“Unless?” Saga prompted, wanting an explanation.

“Unless awakening as psychics gave us the ability to see through their glamor, or psychic cloaking, whatever they’re using to look relatively harmless.” Kanon looked up with incredulous blue-green eyes.

“Harmless?  _ Harmless _ ?! They're giant, fuck-off, magical, talking,  _ flying lizards _ !” Kanon exploded, sitting up and nearly smacking their heads together. His voice rang through their skulls in gunmetal gray bullets, and Saga winced faintly. Camus winced too, and the medunit dispensed him some painkillers, which he swallowed dry. Saga looked around and found some water bottles nearby and tossed him one, grabbing another for him and Kanon, pressing it into his twin’s hands to occupy him.

“Kanon, you know what he meant.” He reprimanded gently. Kanon deflated, cracking open the bottle and gulping some down before passing it back. Saga drank gratefully, fluffing his short black hair to get plaster and dust out of it. He waited patiently, not minding the slightly awkward silence as the medunit finished patching them up. Kanon fidgeted, plucking at the tears in his shirt, and then at the ragged hole where the knee of Saga’s jeans had once been. He was rather sad about the loss of his outfit, torn and singed in several places in weird ways.

He thought he might be compartmentalizing, and doing it rather well, given the circumstances, before he felt the vague sensation of unreality creep in. He was disconnecting. As soon as he realized, he grabbed Kanon’s hand, before fishing in his pocket for worry stones, passing Kanon his as well. Judging from the picking and fidgeting, he had forgotten his. Disconnecting was bad, he needed to keep his head on until they were safe and out of trouble more permanently. And preferably not in the presence of the guy he still kind of wanted to date, crazy or not.

Kanon poked him, and he jerked back into focus, banishing all his scattered thoughts into their box in his head. They'd scatter again, but for now it would be okay. Camus was looking at him, brow furrowed. Had he asked a question?

“I'm sorry, what?” Saga asked apologetically. “I'm ADD, inattentive type, and I was zoning out just then,” he explained, and Kanon squeezed his hand.

“Better than me, I'm impulsive type.” His twin muttered, and Camus nodded understandingly. Kanon was, and always had been, a little more sensitive about their shared mental disorder, even though there was no shame in admitting it, not like how mental disorders had been stigmatized up until five hundred or more years ago, when the dragons revolutionized human society. Saga couldn't personally imagine living in a society that did stigmatize mental disorders, though some places like that did still purportedly exist.

“I was just saying, I'll try to explain, but I need a place to start.” Camus said, and Saga looked to Kanon. Kanon, in a show of complete brotherly love and support, shrugged unhelpfully. Saga’s decision, then.

“The… dragon, seeing as that is what it has to have been after all. How did we kill it?  _ Did _ we kill it? We've never shown any psychic ability before. What did it mean when it called us, um, fodder?” He swallowed nervously. Camus stared at him hard, squinting vaguely, before looking away.

“You didn't kill it, you banished it from this plane of reality. It will probably find its way back here, but hopefully it will take a while. A  _ long _ while, given any luck. As to the fodder issue.” Camus sighed heavily, fiddling with his broken datlenses. “Well, you were probably going to find out eventually. My family is part of the Resistance. The Resistance, before you ask, is what the dragons term a terrorist group, and we call a group of desperate refugees and revolutionaries, trying to fight back against a broken, corrupt, enslaving system.” Saga’s eyes grew wide, and Camus had Kanon’s full attention, which was usually quite a feat. “The dragons don't like psychics, for some reason. They aren't as easy to control or whatever. So when a psychic awakens, they take that child from their parents. This is billed as ‘for the safety of both the psychic and the general populace’. Sometimes there's resistance to this- the family doesn't want to be split up, or whatever, so the dragons kill the resistors. That's what most ‘violent psychic episodes’ really are.” Camus sighed, running his hands through his hair.

“And you?” Saga quirked an eyebrow.

“Unregistered mage,” he studied the broken frames, before deciding they were a lost cause. “Never showed any psychic ability. Mages aren’t held in quite so terrible of conditions, unless you start to question the system. In which case you are quietly culled. The ones who get it worst are those with both abilities, psychic and magic, the Resistance is still trying to find out what happens to those.” His head throbbed, trying to think too much about the here and now was making his brain upset. “But all I do is research and information, essentially a nobody. And I was serious about my degree and daily life.” He amended lamely at the skeptical look on Saga’s face.

“I see…”

“So before,” Kanon chimed in, “when I fucking lost it cause I ran into my shitty ex? And like you came over, you called me Gemini Kanon? Is that going back to the whole ‘dying a bunch of times and breaking a wall’ thing or what?”

“Yes… I don’t know why your memories aren’t resurfacing… then again given that whole incident… i t’s hypothetically possible they may never resurface. But to cut a long story painfully short, we were all something called Saints, servants of Athena, the protector of humanity, sovereign of strategic warfare, crafting, and wisdom, along with a whole slew of other things but those were her primary domains. Our powers and rank were derived from the constellations-” at the blank look on both their faces, he elaborated, “when one could still see stars from Earth, people used them to tell stories and navigate their lives, by basically playing connect the dots and finding a picture in the shape. The twelve most prominent were those that lie on the solar ecliptic, known as the Zodiac. Thus the twelve most powerful of Athena’s servants derived their powers from these twelve signs, and are called Gold Saints. I’m Aquarius, the Water-Bearer, hence the ice and water abilities. You are both Gemini, the Twins, hence the level of psychic synchronization, and Saga especially, you were regarded as the most powerful of our order, ever. Though both of you could easily claim the title there.”

“I… I am not sure how I feel about this. I’m not psychic, I never have been, neither of us are.” Saga sighed.

“You know for someone who sounds like they’re on acid, your story’s pretty cool.” Kanon offered a very strange reassurance.

Camus sighed, “hopefully someone in the Resistance can help us get to Sanctuary… whoever is Grand Master can hopefully get everything sorted out. I’d offer to take us myself but, I’m out of practice, badly, so I’d probably get us killed.” Both twins cocked their heads at that, and it was actually rather endearing how confused they looked. “Gold Saints or those on par with them can travel at light speed.”

“How?” Kanon demanded, even for how excited he looked.

“Through the use of Cosmo,” Camus offered a non-explanation as his head throbbed.

“No, literally how, is it a mass to energy and back conversion? How do you maintain your sense of coherent physical self? Is it-”

Saga however quelled the flow of questions, “I think that can wait until later, Kanon. There’s someone at the door.”

Camus wobbled to his feet and approached, one hand lightly coated in frost before he opened it. The Aquarius Saint startled before he pushed it aside, recognition from a past life could wait. “Are you Survivor?”

“Icicle?” A pause before, “Aquarius Camus! It’s you!”

“Rôshi,” before Camus could bow, Dohko had enfolded him in a cautious but enthusiastic hug. “You remember?” He asked before he could help himself.

“I do, and there’s more of us,” Dohko reassured and peered over his former pupil’s head, “and from the look of it you found Saga and Kanon too.”

“I did, and they did something earlier, something big. Though they have no recollection of, well, before…” The Aquarius Saint mumbled, still trying to figure out what would have caused that.

The Libra Saint straightened up, “well, gentlemen, I’m with the Resistance. Seeing as how you two are now unregistered psychics, it is my responsibility to try and assist you. We’ll be heading to a secure location until the heat dies down.”

“I appreciate the offer, but we just bought a house. We should get back and get the moving bots in order and- Kanon!” Saga froze as his twin jumped up. “What are you doing?”

“Come on Saga, you can’t tell me you’re not the teeniest bit curious about how we managed to send that- that  _ thing _ \- away like that?” Kanon offered his hand. The professor sighed and conceded his brother’s point. Accepting his hand, Kanon hauled him to his feet.

“We’ll come with you for now… probably isn’t safe to stay here anyway. Though can we stop by our house and get everything at least inside the building? We can put up the security system after, and come with.” He said reasonably.

Dohko beamed at them, “well then, shall we get going?”

Camus offered Saga a small, awkward smile, “thank you for trusting us.”

“I just hope this doesn’t backfire…” Despite how grim he sounded, Saga returned the gesture.

* * *

After a brief stop at the small one-story that belonged to the twins, some moving and shuffling, they left the city. The trip out and to the jungle didn’t take long on Dohko’s  _ Lady Danger _ , and Saga and Kanon passed it in mute silence, trying to recuperate and parse through the information that had been dumped upon them. For his part, Camus had taken to catching up with Dohko a short distance away in the seating area.

“So, what happened out there?” The pilot asked, offering him a cup of tea.

After a few grateful sips, Camus began, “I was out on a date with Saga.” He ignored the eyebrow waggling his former teacher gave him, “apparently Kanon ran into an awful ex of some form, and in a fit of blind rage, leveled three city blocks with Galaxian Explosion, including the café where Saga and I were.”

“Must have been some ex,” Dohko let out a low whistle.

Camus snorted at that as he continued his story, digging out through the rubble with Saga to find Kanon and the arrival of the dragon and the League. “Dohko, they deployed the chimerae, two of them against us.”

That made the Libra Saint sit bolt upright, “you’re the first person to not die soon after encountering them. What specifically happened there?” he pulled out his comm and set it to record.

Truth be told, the mental image of the transformation was so fixed in his mind that the Aquarius Saint gagged from thinking about it. But he calmed himself, because if what Dohko said was true, then this would be invaluable data. “As far as physical descriptions they appeared normal at first, but then they transformed like in some ancient horror movie. Only more… visceral. Like it wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did, too painful to imagine going through.” He hesitated, “I’m describing this poorly.”

“No,” he reassured the other man, “that’s about all the description we got out of the survivors before they died.”

“I could, er, show you, I’m out of practice, but it is worth a try.”

“Very well.” Dohko accepted Camus’s memory of the encounter and also gagged. “I see why you called it visceral… shit…” He shook off the images and tried to record them as usefully as he could in the note file. “And the dragon?”

“I delayed it for a few moments with Aurora Execution… not that it did much…” The Aquarius Saint kicked himself, recalling vividly that he used to be able to perform that attack with far more power and consistency.

“For being what, a thousand years out of practice, I think you did exemplary.”

“It wasn’t me, it was Saga and Kanon who defeated it, on instinct, using Another Dimension and Golden Triangle. Whether or not it can be qualified as dead, that’s another matter.”

Dohko offered a reassuring smile as he lifted his mug of tea. “I’d say that’s earned you three a drink and then some.”

“Perhaps,” Camus tapped the edge of his mug to his teacher’s and accepted the praise as best he could. “You mentioned you had found others?”

“Yes,” Dohko nodded, “though technically I was also found. Shion, Mû, Kiki, and Shaka are all awaiting us. I called ahead so all three of you are expected.”

“Good,” he tilted his head as he drained the last of his mug, “what about you then?”

“What about me?”

“What are you doing here?”

“In general? Or in specific?”

The Aquarius Saint bowed his head, “typical of you, Rôshi…”

The man laughed and leaned back in the seat. “Dohko please, I’m not some husk sitting in front of a waterfall anymore.”

“Very well, Libra Dohko, what specifically are you doing here?”

He leaned forward, tone low as the humor of his previous statement evaporated. “Have you tried summoning Aquarius?”

“Yes. I received no answer… only silence… was something I did, am I unworthy of-”

“No, it’s not you.” He reassured Camus, squeezing his pupil’s shoulder gently. “The Cloths were destroyed some five hundred years ago. Don’t ask Shaka what happened, they’re still reeling from it after waking.” At the nod, Dohko continued, “I was out here on a supply run, two hundred kilograms of orichalcum seized from some sources in a mage college, and equipment from a few less than reputable arms dealers, along with one of Kiki’s inventions. If all goes according to plan, the day after tomorrow we should have stardust, and once Shion performs the blessing, holy water from Star Hill.”

Camus’s eyes widened, “you mean…?”

“Exactly, we’re going to make a Cloth. Or well, they are, I just get to be the guinea pig.” He grinned.

An alert sounded, startling Kanon and Saga awake as Dohko stood, “we’ll be touching down now, it’ll be a bit bumpy, since the base wasn’t designed to hold a ship quite this size but just hang tight.”

Ten minutes later saw Saga, Kanon, and Camus unbuckling their harnesses, all three in agreement that this was the single sketchiest parking job they had even witnessed. Camus led the twins out the side door onto the landing dock as the hangar doors slid shut overhead with a shriek that made a cat fight sound symphonic. “We’re back,” Dohko’s voice echoed as he followed the new arrivals down.

“Welcome back,” Shion smiled, “you should go see Shiryû, he’s missed you something fierce.”

“I’ll leave these three to you then?” He slid past them along the rail down the ramp and stopped beside the Aries Saint. His head bowed, pressing a quick kiss to Shion's mouth, before he dashed off.

Camus paused and bowed, “Master Shion.”

“So formal, Camus,” he smiled and embraced the small man. “You’re looking well.”

“Er, thank you.”

Shion’s attention turned to the twins, eyeing him halfway up the gangplank, “hello, I’m Aries Shion, you must be Saga and Kanon.”

“Yeah,” Kanon nodded.

Something in the back of Saga’s brain wrenched and he pressed against Kanon’s side. Kanon wrapped an arm around him as they descended the last few yards. 

Shion smiled, “welcome to our base, Dohko told me what happened, I believe you’re looking for answers?”

“Yes,” Saga muttered.

“Then, follow me, we have much to discuss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter is long! Sorry? Idk if anyone's reading this, but it's fun, so we're going to keep writing it!


	8. Interlude - Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or, rather, "interlude - a journey through the mind", because Sparky thinks she's funny.
> 
> Warning for weird shenanigans and a field trip into people's minds. References to forcible possession. 
> 
> Btw, I don't know if you've all figured this out yet or not, but we are definitely not Episode G compliant. We've never seen it and honestly don't have interest to. The art style weirds us out.
> 
> We have by now seen/read the Lost Canvas, and two of the LC Gaidens, Albafica and Kardia, and like half of Degél's. If y'all know a good English scan of the rest of the please point us in their direction. 
> 
> We don't know yet if we're going to incorporate any LC characters, just fyi.

In truth, it took several days for everything to settle to the point where Saga and Kanon felt comfortable leaving the room given to them in the base. They spent most of their first couple days asleep, and only emerged on the third when hunger really set in. The kitchen at the end of the hall smelled of fresh cooking, and they stumbled down in their pajamas to find the kitchen crowded.

Shaka, Mû, and Kiki glanced up from the table, Camus pocketed his comm, while Dohko and Shion turned from their cooking. “Good morning,” the former Grand Master greeted with a smile, “what can we offer for breakfast?”

“Coffee,” came Kanon’s low whine as he flopped onto Saga.

“Two of those to start please.” Saga added as they found space to lean against the wall. “And whatever's cooking, if there's enough?” he ventured. Kiki rolled his eyes at them. 

“You can sit at the table, you know. Like regular people, instead of the massive socially awkward dorks you apparently are.” He mentioned. Saga flushed, and picked a pair of unoccupied chairs well away from everyone else. Shaka observed them curiously, as did Mû. 

“Do you really still not remember?” Shaka asked curiously. Saga sighed, rubbing at the headache that kept spiking through his head at the mention of ‘remembering’, whatever it was they were supposed to. Shion made a swift  _ tsking _ noise from the stove, and Shaka blushed slightly. “Sorry. We weren't supposed to ask.” They said softly. Saga shook his head wordlessly and accepted the two cups of coffee, pressing one into Kanon’s hands after adding a heaping spoonful of sugar and a dollop of milk. 

“We don't. We realize we're apparently supposed to, but we don't, or can't.” he rubbed a hand across his temples, wishing the stabbing pains would stop. Kiki frowned at him. 

“Why do you keep acting like you've got a headache? Do you get chronic migraines or something?” He asked abruptly, something like suspicion crossing his face. Saga blinked at him.

“No. I get headaches, but usually just when I've been overdoing late nights or datscreens. Never like this, though, it really hurts,” his voice trailed off into an embarrassed mumble. Kanon, halfway through his coffee already, scooted his chair closer and set his head on Saga’s shoulder. Shion and Dohko set plates before everyone, the dark-haired pilot frowning contemplatively. 

“Hey, Saga, Kanon, do you have any weird holes in your memories? Not of the last life, of this one. The one you've lived here. Any weird incidents, sudden moves, anything.” Dohko asked. Saga frowned at the scrambled eggs and toast on his plate, reaching across for the strawberry preserves.

“We moved kind of suddenly when we were thirteen,” he said slowly, grasping at thoughts suddenly as slippery as an eel. Kanon frowned, pulling his fork out of his mouth slowly.

“We'd been in summer camp. It was a science camp, you had been super stoked about all the nerdy shit you were going to get to do.” Kanon jabbed Saga with his elbow.

“So were you, practical physics nut,” Saga returned reflexively. He frowned again. “Wait, you had a friend, didn't you? I think know what he looked like but I can't remember his name.” Saga rubbed at his head, cursing the way his headache was spiking. Just as suddenly the pain drained away, and he looked up, startled.

“What were we just talking about?” Kanon asked, bewildered. Saga shrugged. 

“Probably nothing important. Your eggs are getting cold,” he said, and looked up. “Why are you all staring at us like that?” Dohko looked grim, and everyone else looked uneasy and sick. 

“Do you remember what we were just talking about?” Dohko asked softly. Saga blinked. 

“Ah, no. Was it important?” Saga asked, uncertain.

“No, but you just confirmed my suspicions. You have psychic blocks in place from when you were approximately thirteen, and that's interfering with remembering now.” Dohko told them, and Saga exchanged a worried look with Kanon. “After breakfast can we take a stab at getting them off you? Shion and Mû can probably get it if they work together, but we won't do it if you're not ready.” 

“If somebody fucked with our heads, then I'd like it if you could, you know, un-fuck them.” Kanon said after a long moment of silence. Saga nodded quietly, keeping a stranglehold on the simmering rage festering inside him at the thought of having something so integral as memories stolen from him. He breathed through the anger, using one of the strategies his therapist had taught him. The rest of breakfast continued in uneasy silence, everyone seeming to be holding their collective breaths. After they were done, Shion, Mû, and Kiki stood up and ushered the twins away. Shion led them into what had to be the medical bay, and it was the work of moments to have four beds arrayed next to each other.

“Whenever you're ready, boys,” Shion said kindly. “Mû and I will be guiding you, and Kiki will be staying behind to act as an anchor and reinforcements if we need him. Does that sound agreeable?” He asked them, voice a soft, pale grey mist, gentle and blanketing. Saga felt Kanon’s tension start the release, and in response he also began to relax a bit. They laid down in the two middle beds, Kanon reaching across the space between them to clasp Saga’s hand. He squeezed it reassuringly, telling his little brother, without words, that Saga would always look after him.

He felt a strange foreboding in the pit of his stomach, but passed it off.

Shion and Mû settled in the beds next to them, reaching out to tuck gentle hands against the twins’ skin. Saga felt Shion’s gentle mental suggestion of sleep, and did not resist, falling into sweet, black oblivion.

The first sight that greeted the twins was the entrance to a labyrinth, all in marble and gold leaf, flanked with fluted columns. “Well that’s new.” Kanon chirped, “also what’s with the weird sign on the door. Is this another one of your nerd things, Saga?”

Saga frowned up at it, it appeared to be like a rectangle but the top and bottom sides extended past the box. “I’ve seen this before in some old paintings from a dig site in the Sunken Isles, usually accompanied by some other symbols.” He conjured up the image of eleven others, “we had a theory they were runes for some sort of ritual summoning, but the mage college took over the dig soon after.” He studied the set of runes he had conjured.

“Where was this dig?” Mû’s voice drifted over to them.

“The Sunken Isles, it was near a burial ground.” Saga turned to the newcomers. “As I said the team was ousted pretty quickly when the news broke.”

“How interesting,” he considered. "That's the symbol of Gemini, your star sign," he offered softly, ignoring the pair of skeptical looks shot his way.

Shion appeared at his side and nodded, “agreed, but for now, we have another mystery to solve. Are you both ready?” He smiled at the twins. At the unified nod, the Aries Saint motioned to the labyrinth. “This is your shared headspace gentlemen, lead on.”

Saga and Kanon stepped inside, and in only a few steps they reached a large pit in the floor. Thin trails of black smoke seeped out and the smell of blood hung thick in the air. They clung to one another, unwilling to take another step. Shion and Mû skirted around them and carefully leaned over. From what they could see it appeared to be some sort of shrine, broken and desecrated, but still there.

Mû bit the inside of his cheek, “I owe both of them an apology.”

“What for?” Shion tilted his head. Mû looked slightly shamefaced.

“I had a theory that what happened was, perhaps, due to the dual nature of Gemini. That,” he gestured down at the shrine, “is very clearly outside influence.” Shion nodded gravely, before jumping down into the pit. All of them made abortive motions to try to catch him.

“It's safe!” Shion voice echoed up from the bottom of the pit, concealed by oily smoke. “It looks like this has been mostly purified, Athena’s power has left an echo here!” Saga, Kanon, and Mû exchanged dubious looks before jumping down cautiously. As soon as the two Gemini landed, enormous, ghostly hands reached out from the broken, evil-looking monument. They were gnarled and cracked, dripping spectral blood from horrific wounds. Shion’s eyes narrowed. 

“I name you Ares, God of Conquest! Or his servants, preying upon the remnant of his power!” He declared, standing firm even as Kanon, Mû, and Saga skipping backwards, out of reach. “I claim a debt writ in blood, for my own murder and the second orphaning of my son, Aries Mû!” Energy coalesced around his hands, blooming into a scintillating golden light.

“STARDUST REVOLUTION!” The energy left his hands in shrieking streaks of light, and a howling, anguished wail filled the air, reminiscent of nails scraped against glass. The light grew to blinding, and they all had to look away. When they looked back, all that was left was a gently-smoking crater, wisps of golden energy hanging in the air, making a soft haze. 

“Holy shit,” Kanon said softly, eyes wide. Saga nodded speechlessly, while Mû looked simultaneously proud and shocked. Saga looked thoughtfully up at the circle of sky, and spiraling stairs suddenly came into existence, leading out of the pit. Shion smiled fondly over at Saga, and Kanon gently punched him on the shoulder before bounding up the stairs without a second thought.

“What was that?” Saga asked, trailing up the stairs behind his brother, glancing over his shoulder at Shion.

“The remnants of an invasive, nonconsensual possession by Ares, god of conquest, bloodshed, war, and violence.” Shion said, looking very old for a moment. “I knew you were being influenced, I just never imagined…” he heaved a gusty sigh. Saga bowed his head and saw Kanon flinch from the corner of his eye. “Both of your minds were violated in the worst way, and I'm sorry. I should have protected you both better.” Kanon paused, looking over at Shion with a faint twist to his lips.

“You fixed it, just now. Besides, how were you supposed to protect us from something like that? That's crazy.” He pointed out. Shion shrugged helplessly, and Mû rested a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I'm actually quite worried about the two of you’s mental welfare, should you actually regain your memories of those years,” the younger Aries Saint said softly. Kanon shrugged.

“We'll get through it together,” he said philosophically, catching Saga’s hand and twining their fingers together. “Come on, we've still not remembered anything, which means there's still something to do in here.” As he spoke, the landscape warped around them, and they all staggered. When the world settled, they stood before a huge wall, rusty barbed wire twisted around the top. Shion looked up at it, calculating, before he shepherded them all away and fired another Stardust Revolution at it. The wall remained completely unscathed. Shion hummed.

“I could try,” Mû offered doubtfully, and Shion shook his head. 

“I think you two need to break it yourselves,” he admitted, looking to the twins. Kanon nodded, dragging in a sharp breath, and pulling Saga with him in front of the two Aries Saints.

“Okay. You've done this once, I've done this twice. We can do this,” Kanon said, trying to convince both of them. Saga smiled at him nervously, gripping his hand tightly. They breathed deeply, and a strange tranquility fell over them, before they both raised up their linked hands, palms overlapped and facing the wall, fingers threaded, but open. 

The resulting explosion knocked them all on their asses. Coughing, eyes watering, Saga looked up at the wall. All that remained was rubble, with jagged bits of wire sticking out of it. Beyond it was a lovely forest, tall trees and low-hanging clouds and soft, drizzling rain.

A shadow appeared before them, small and child sized, the silhouette of a slightly chubby child maybe on the verge of a growth spurt, hair a fuzzy halo of curls that obscured the size and shape of their face, as they were just a shade. Kanon immediately clambered over the rubble, reaching out for the child.

“You were my friend. What happened to you?” His voice was soft and heartbroken. “I remember now, sort of. Something happened and they took you away.” Saga climbed over the rubble too, setting a comforting hand on his twin’s shoulder. He heard Shion and Mû come up behind him. The shadow shook their head, patting Kanon’s arm with a ghostly hand. Then they tugged, gently, turning away and trying to lead them somewhere. 

“Should we follow?” Saga asked lowly. Shion shrugged.

“It doesn't feel like a trap. Maybe we should.” He reassured Saga. Saga grabbed Kanon’s other hand, needing the reassurance, and they followed the spectre. They went along a well-traveled hiking path, until they jogged off into the woods proper. They reached a hole in the ground, where it looked like the earth, softened by rain, had given way into a cavern. The shade disappeared and reappeared in the bottom of the pit, and they looked between each other. Kanon shrugged and jumped down, and Saga sighed and followed after. Two soft thumps heralded their companions also following. The shade waved cheerfully, beckoning them further into the murky gloom.

“You're sure this isn't a trap?” Saga asked dryly, and Shion chuckled softly.

“Quite. I think these are memories, what your minds can reconstruct after being blocked so long.” Shion assured him once more. Saga shrugged fatalistically and jogged after Kanon. The tunnel led them out into a half collapsed structure.

“Is this a  _ temple _ ?” Mû gasped. The shade reached a toppled brazier and sat down, fading into wisps of smoke. Saga was looking around interestedly as well. Kanon knelt in front of the brazier, helpless grief coloring his face.

“I couldn't protect him,” he choked, and Shion knelt beside him, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders.

“You were a child,” Shion spoke, soft and soothingly. Kanon let out a bitter laugh, wiping his eyes furiously. 

“I hate being helpless,” he gasped, and the scene shifted, wavering, until it was a rocky beach at the foot of a cliff by the sea, and they were facing an ancient, barred prison gate set into the cliffside. Kanon let out a horrified, choked gasp, recoiling and scrambling backward, towards the sea. Footsteps echoed, a young shade strode past them, perhaps sixteen by height, with past-Kanon and past-Saga’s long spill of soft curls. Tossing something in their hand, a key, whistling cheerfully. 

_ this should give you the time you need, big bro. you go get that romance of yours. i always wanted to explore down here anyway.  _

The voice was just as ghostly as the shape, cutting through the tense silence. The scene wavered and changed again, the same teenager facing someone who could only be Saga, clad in the Gemini Cloth. Kanon went flying through the air as Saga’s voice echoed, now accompanied by his own.

_ we're athena’s protectors. _

_ you’ve always been the good one, but you and i are the same. we are wicked to the core. _

_ i am nothing like you. i will never lift my hand against the grand master or athena. _

A clanging noise, like the gate shutting. A tinkle as the key was thrown aside.

_ you'll stay in there until you've rethought these evil notions. you are not evil, you're my brother. _

A faint sighing sound.

_ i'll come get you out once i’ve spoken to the master about this. _

Words spoken more to himself than to his brother 

_ saga, you fool! if you're going to ignore your power, be my guest! i'll kill athena and the grand master and take over the world myself! _

Angered shouting.

_ why don't you do it, saga he doesn’t deserve your loyalty he chose the lover who rejected you over you to be his successor he doesn't care for you after all and aiolos doesn't love you you will be alone for the rest of your life but the grand master is loved don't you want some of that love for yourself? _

An insidious whisper at the back of the mind, corrupting, obsessive.

Saga screamed.

They woke up, startled, breathing hard and back in the infirmary. Kanon had scrambled from his bed to Saga’s, and was holding his trembling, sweating brother, even though he looked just as sick and shaky. Shion gathered Mû and Kiki to his sides and looked sadly at the two Gemini.

“For what it's worth, I don't blame you. It wasn't your faults, and I understand now what happened. I forgive you, should you desire forgiveness.” He said, soft and calm and carrying, before he pulled his brothers away. “Let's give them some space to work through this,” he murmured to the younger men, and they followed quietly. Shion took them to the small kitchen and made them all a steadying cup of tea, and they sat in silence, processing what has happened. Dohko came in with Shaka and Camus, the latter holding a comm and fidgeting with it. He made them tea after shooting Shion a questioning glance, which Shion just answered with a grave expression and a shake of the head. Camus waited until they were all seated to speak.

“The Lady is on her way, they’re rendezvousing with Swan and Octopus on the way in.”

“Good,” Dohko nodded. “Are you alright Camus? You’re acting nervous.”

“Am I?” He hesitated with his tea, noting Shaka and Kiki watching him. “I remember what happened before, and now… they’re my siblings, Dohko, how am I supposed to apologize about what happened? I pitted them against one another. I forced Hyôga- oh shit,  _ Hyôga _ .” Kiki closed his eyes. 

“Dunno if it helps but we all went to mandatory therapy. Probably not enough to stop you two having a sob fest when he gets here. But he did work through it.” He said, shrugging helplessly.

“See?” Dohko reassured. “Everything is going to be fine.” He smiled, and they lapsed into a brief silence before Shion took a deep breath and began to explain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah! Introducing our headcanons about why Saga did what he did! I never really bought Mû's explanation, personally, and Kishimoto kind of contradicts himself at several points. It's confusing, so we've made up our own explanations, based heavily on the original series, manga, not anime.
> 
> If anything isn't clear let us know and we'll try to clarify. :) I'm so glad to know people are actually reading this, we had like, spasms of joy at seeing two whole reviews on this fic, it means a lot to us.


	9. Cygnus - Arrivals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick reminder that this is NOT compliant with Episode G, Next Dimension, Lost Canvas, or Omega!!! This is ONLY compliant with Saint Seiya original series, and even then more with the manga than the anime. Thanks for your time!

“Ready, Swan?” The blond in question looked up, smiling at the questioner.

“Always, Octopus.” He replied, and Octopus slung an arm around his shoulders, grinning crookedly.

“Don't look too excited there, little brother. Our big brother got in trouble! On the date I lovingly set up for him!” Swan rolled his eyes.

“Which means we should be _worried_ , not weirdly excited.” He replied dryly. It was Octopus’s turn to give an eyeroll.

“Yeah, but our clearance got upped! We're gonna meet the _Lady_! Powerhouse of the Resistance! You can't tell me you're not at least a little excited, bro.” Octopus’s voice took on a wheedling tone, and Swan allowed himself a small smile.

“Okay, yeah, that's a _little_ exciting.” He confirmed. “Now get off, she could get here any moment, big sis. We need to make a good impression.” Octopus rolled her eyes and tugged the lay of her synthleather jacket straight. Swan nervously fidgeted with the lay of his matching jacket, and Octopus shot him a saucy little smile. He rolled his eyes again. Bootsteps echoed down the hall, and Swan pulled himself to attention in time for his mouth to go dry.

She was tiny and curvy, and radiated ruthless efficiency, shadowed by the one who could only be Hound, her personal bodyguard. Her soft, dark brown hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and she was clad in form-fitting gray pants, black combat boots, and a soft pink blouse, a black denim jacket slung carelessly over one shoulder. Her eyes were bright green in her smooth brown face. The Hound had short-cut messy black hair and a piercing blue gaze, equally brown-skinned as the Lady. Clad in cargo pants, combat boots, a tank top, and a synthleather jacket, all of them black, with a pulse rifle slung over one shoulder, they made an intimidating, though very short, picture.

“I take it you're Swan and Octopus? I'm Lady, this is Hound. Survivor should be joining us shortly to escort us on-site.” Lady held out her hand, and Swan nodded dumbly, shaking her hand politely. Octopus was enviously eyeing Hound’s pulse rifle.

“That is a lovely piece, Hound.” She purred, and Swan shook off his stupor to tug his sister’s sleeve.

“Octopus, stop drooling over other people’s weapons,” he muttered, and ignored the way Hound lovingly stroked the butt of the rifle.

“Got it special order through one of our weapons dealers.” Hound muttered, and Octopus made an appreciative noise. Swan found himself sharing a commiserating glances with the Lady, and flushed slightly. Cheerful humming and bootsteps not even attempting to be quiet interrupted the moment, and they all glanced up as Survivor entered. He faltered, a weird expression crossing his face before his grin returned and he saluted lazily.

“Survivor, reporting in. It's good to see you, Lady, Hound, Swan, Octopus,” He greeted each of them with a fond nod. “Ready to step aboard my Lady Danger?” The Lady smiled fondly, a soft chuckle escaping her, and she was even more beautiful when she smiled. They followed Dohko aboard, shuffling into passenger seating and strapping in. Somehow- and Swan suspected Octopus’s hand in this- Swan found himself seated beside Lady, with his sister and Hound across the small space from them. Hound seemed agitated, fingers tapping nervously against the butt of the rifle, as Lady Danger shuddered to life and lifted into the sky, taking them to the secured location.

“So, Swan, Octopus, how did you two end up in the Resistance?” Lady asked conversationally, crossing her legs neatly. Swan blinked, scrambling for coherent thought. Octopus urged him on with an arched eyebrow.

“Uh, our brother, actually. The one in trouble now, obviously, not me. Or Octopus, since, well. Sister.” He winced at his own inarticulateness, and Octopus’s other eyebrow joined the first in an expression of ‘oh-baby-brother-why’, mixed with a healthy dose of withering pity. “He's a mage. Primarily elemental, water and ice based. He… wasn't so great at control when he was a kid. Mom and Dad helped him hide it, but if he got spooked in public - frost _everywhere_. We got unlucky once, and really, that's all you need. We bolted, barely took anything and ended up on my uncle's unregistered boat, and that was home for years. Well, until we made enough of a name for ourselves in the underground smuggling people out, supplies in, that kind of thing. Then we got approached by, um, Archer, I believe her codename was, and the rest is history.” Swan shrugged. The Lady clapped her hands excitedly.

“So mother recruited you!” She exclaimed, and Swan paused, and reviewed Lady’s appearance with a more critical eye. She did look somewhat like Archer, though the shape of her full mouth and her pretty eyes was different, and her skin a darker shade of smooth, lovely brown than Archer’s light golden-brown hue. She had her mother’s eye color though, and the same button nose.

“Archer’s your mother?” He asked anyway, wanting the confirmation. She nodded, and Swan hummed contemplatively. “What about you two, then? How'd you get into the Resistance?” He asked, desperate to keep the conversation going. Lady smiled, and Hound scowled.

“We were born in it.” Hound said brusquely. Swan frowned, confused.

“Wait, are you two related?” He asked, puzzled. Lady opened her mouth to speak, but Hound cut her off.

“Does it matter? From where I sit, it's none of your business.” Lady shot her bodyguard a disapproving look, which Hound completely ignored.

“Uh. Sorry.” Swan muttered, but the uneasy silence that descended didn't last long as the Lady Danger shuddered and pulled into a landing.

“And here we are, everyone!” Survivor called cheerily, and everyone unbuckled themselves and stretched out stiff muscles.

“Ready to go yell at Ca-Icicle?” Swan muttered to Octopus, and his sister nodded cheerfully.

“Oh yeah, ready and raring to go. With my luck he's been scared out of dates completely! That would really suck, we need to find him someone, Swan. He's going to molder all alone with no one to pull him out from under all the books!” Swan rolled his eyes at his sister's antics, until she waggled her eyebrows at him. “Aiming high, lil’ bro! The top brass, really?” She hissed in his ear, and he choked on air, landing a well-aimed elbow in his sister's ribs.

“Shut the fuck up, I- Octopus.” He hissed, and proceeded off the ship.

No one was waiting for them out in the corridor, surprisingly clean for how long this base had been abandoned. Survivor was looking around, puzzled, before he shrugged, and started walking. Had the other occupants of the base forgotten they were arriving?

Halfway down a corridor they finally saw someone approaching. At speed. Hound grabbed for her pulse rifle, but Survivor seemed unconcerned. Actually, the approaching person looked kind of familiar, though Swan couldn't place where from. Wild laughter echoed down the empty corridor, and the person swung impossibly up to avoid them, skating up a wall before springboarding to land behind them, heralded by a child’s shriek of delight. Oh- the person was wearing antigrav skates, that made more sense now.

“Tadaaaa! Welcome to the back end of nowhere, rainforest central, newcomers!” The person caroled brightly. “If anyone asks, this was not, in fact, a sickbed jailbreak, but a touching reunion between father and son! Here you go, Dohko.” Survivor cradled the giggling, bandaged child to his chest after the newcomer unceremoniously deposited him in his arms, face changing from mildly bewildered to laughing uproariously.

“Jailbreak? Shion’s going to _murder_ you.” Survivor chortled. The newcomer- who was distractingly familiar, and infuriatingly difficult to place- waved a hand, unconcerned.

“Meh. Saga will save me.” He said, hips gently swaying to keep his balance on the antigrav skates. Swan glanced over at Octopus, wondering if she could place the newcomer. She had a disturbingly wide-eyed, starry expression. Swan glanced between her and the antigrav escape artist a couple of times, before it clicked. This was that trideo stunt artist she liked! ‘shot-from-a-kanon’, or something like that. He was smirking at her now, and Swan felt himself bristle slightly. “Hello beautiful, do I spy a fan?” He asked, and Octopus flushed slightly beneath sun tanned skin. Lady cleared her throat delicately.

“Excuse me, but we really do need to get to business.” She said, sweetly professional. Kanon blinked down at her.

“Right, sure, the baby lamb finished getting a conference room set up.” He paused for a moment, face going distant. “And everyone should meet us there.” He grinned, slowly skating into the lead. Octopus followed him like a love-stricken puppy. “So what's your name? I'm Kanon.” He asked her conversationally. Swan frowned slightly.

“Well, um, I'm not supposed to give you my real name? I think?” She said somewhat helplessly, glancing back at Swan. Lady chuckled sweetly.

“I really don't see the harm in it. Survivor, well, Dohko, has already been outed, after all.” She said sweetly, glancing over at the pilot, thoroughly engrossed in the little boy in his arms’ excited, arm-waving babble. Swan’s sister smiled, relieved.

“Okay then. I'm Isaac- hey, easy!” She caught Kanon by the elbow as he tripped.

“Sorry, sorry, still not entirely used to these!” Kanon babbled, laughing and scratching the back of his head, expression strangely strained. Isaac got an odd expression.

“Wait, we haven't met before, have we? You never replied to my trideo response to your last upload.” She said slowly. Swan touched her elbow gently, concerned.

“No- wait, was that you, the really badass one doing tricks in, like, boat rigging? I was gonna respond to that one, but, well, shit happened.” Kanon waved a hand to encompass the base and, presumably, everything in it. “Hey, look, here we are! Aaand this is not an appropriate place for making out with your new boyfriend!” He had swung the door open to the conference room, occupied by only two people. Sitting in one of the chairs was a man who could only be Kanon’s twin brother, short black curls a crazy riot. His hair was directly a result of the man seated in his lap, the small man with the auburn undercut, whose fingers were twined through the taller man’s night-sky locks as they kissed, open and wet and slick.

“Camus!” Swan and Isaac said at the same time, Swan sounding scandalized, Isaac surprised and approving. The redhead jerked back, scrambling out of the other man’s lap, hastily straightening his shirt, terribly flustered. The black-haired man, presumably Saga, smoothed his hair, looking equally flustered.

“Isaac, Hyôga!” He exclaimed, almost startled, before he lurched forward to hug them both tightly. Hyôga and Isaac hugged him back equally tightly, and Hyôga felt a tight knot of anxiety in his chest unravel and relax, here tangled up with his siblings. More people shuffled in behind them, and they awkwardly shifted to the side.

“Next time tell me when you're absconding with Shiryû, Kanon. You are in so much trouble!” A small man with a cloud of blond curls scolded their guide. Dohko rested a hand on the small of his back.

“It's okay, Shion, Shiryû is fine and he had fun. Besides, he's out of the woods, he's making a full recovery, and I know he's been bored out of his skull with just a datpad and us for company.” Dohko said soothingly, and Shion subsided, tucking himself under the brunet’s arm.

Isaac pinched the bridge of her nose as she glanced over at Kanon. Hyôga touched her elbow, concerned as Camus finally released them. She shot him a faint, reassuring smile. She rubbed her temples, squinting at Kanon, confused, before her face cleared in an expression of shock shading into fury. She rounded on her idol and slugged him in the gut.

“Sea Dragon! You worthless, wretched traitor! How dare you betray Lord Poseidon like that!” She yelled, and Hyôga blinked in shock, before faint memories began pouring in, slowly and then faster, until his head felt like it might split in two. He glanced, shocked at the Lady, who looked vaguely horrified.

“Sh-Shun?” He asked, reaching out towards his husband. Not his husband, she was his _boss_ , and he wasn't supposed to know her name. Hound- Ikki, of _course_ \- stepped in from if her, scowling.

“What the _fuck_ is going on?” He- she- they?- hissed, glaring at all and sundry.

One of the two blonds clapped their hands, and Hyôga refocused on the room at large. And promptly got distracted again, staring wide-eyed at Camus. His master, his brother, his father in all but blood, the one he had killed with his own hands.

“Let's all sit down and we can have the discussion and explanation you all need, shall we?” The blond said, and the sense of authority they radiated got everyone into a chair, stunned as they were. Hyôga and Camus bracketed Isaac, glaring at Kanon warningly. Well, Hyôga was. Camus just looked hopelessly confused. The man stood in the front of the room with Dohko- oh, that was weird, wasn't that _Rôshi_?- and waited for them to settle down. A younger redhead was fiddling with a holoprojector, and wait, was that _Kiki_? Hyôga was thoroughly thrown, and he now had a splitting headache.

“Thank you for your attention. I am Grand Master Aries Shion, though I don't believe I ever had the pleasure of meeting any of you, due to my slightly untimely murder.” The blond smiled pleasantly. Hyôga stared, and vaguely hoped he wasn't gaping. “With me is Libra Dohko, behind me is Aries Kiki, sitting right over there in order are Aries Mû, Virgo Shaka, Gemini Saga, Gemini Kanon, and over there is Aquarius Camus. Also present, but with no memories of any past lives is Draco Shiryû.” He indicated to the small, bandaged child that Mû was cuddling gently. “Would any of you who recall past lives please introduce yourselves?” Shion asked with a sweet, gentle smile. Hyôga looked at Isaac. Camus looked at both of them.

“Ah, I was Cygnus, later Aquarius Hyôga.” He ventured, sounding vaguely dazed. Isaac sighed gustily.

“Kraken Isaac. Of _Poseidon’s_ army.” She glared around, daring anyone to comment. Shion looked slightly worried, but gave her a welcoming smile anyway.

“Anyone else?” He asked politely, glancing to Lady and Hound. To Shun and Ikki.

“...Phoenix Ikki, though I took up Leo for a while, until we got a more suitable candidate.” Ikki growled. Shun giggled.

“Only you would give up a Gold Cloth to return to a Bronze, big sister.” She said sweetly, and Ikki grumbled. “I was Andromeda first, but later I was Grand Master Virgo Shun.” Shun smiled brightly. Hyôga touched his lips, smiling, helpless and besotted, at his- former husband. That was still weird. “Also, a minor correction, Master Shion, but Shiryû served as my Libra. Very faithfully.” Dohko beamed over at the child, clearly incredibly proud.

“My thanks for the correction, Master Shun,” Shion said graciously, and Shun looked embarrassed.

“You don't need to- you were Grand Master first!” She spluttered. Shion smiled at her brightly.

“That does not negate your service, Grand Master.” He reminded gently. She hid her face in her hands briefly, before shaking it off, and sitting upright.

“You're right. Though, I do prefer informality.” She replied. Shion chuckled.

“As do I. In any case, I, Kiki, and Mû ask permission to enter your minds briefly to put your memories into the correct order. We believe we can do so without being invasive, and in theory, it should lessen the headache. Without rearrangement, it takes between three and four weeks to really fully separate yourself from your past.” Shion winced faintly, “and sometimes longer than that. We haven't tried this yet- all of us did it the hard way- but this should, hopefully, make things easier. Then we can all work together to recap the past.” Everyone acquiesced more or less gracefully, and Hyôga sat still as Kiki gently rearranged his memory, memories of his past life taking a definite back seat to his present self. It was a relief, somehow, though Hyôga hadn't realized how confused he felt. He sighed, squeezing Isaac’s hand gently. She shot him a tired smile.

“All right, I think you can begin Ma- Shion.” Shun smiled, and Shion nodded.

“Here is what we know thus far.” Kiki brought up a twodee graph of some kind, and zeroed in to the top, where there was a label - “birth of Athena”, and a date. So it was a timeline of sorts. It zipped down a few months, to “malevolent possession of Gemini twins”. Hyôga blinked in shock. “Athena was born in September. At some point between then and my murder, Gemini Kanon took an ill-advised, unsupervised spelunking trip to the Cape Sulion prison. That was historically the site where half of the war god Ares’s power was sealed by Athena after his defeat in the Third Holy War. The other half was sealed in the heart of Sanctuary, in the very bottom of the catacombs.” Kanon was fidgeting awkwardly. “Through no fault of his own, save being there alone in the first place, Kanon was possessed by Ares, consumed by the need for revenge against Athena for her imprisonment of him. He went to his brother, Saga, at that time one of my two candidates for my successor, and tried to convince him to usurp me and kill the infant Lady Athena. Saga refused and threw him into the prison, intending to return for him when he had reported to me.

“That did not happen, as Ares had transferred the majority of his power to Saga, who managed to fight his influence for a few days, but ultimately failed. This led to my murder, the attempted murder of Athena, the false accusation of Aiolos of attempting to murder Athena, his exile and death. None of which either Saga or Kanon is responsible for.” Shion leveled them all with a stern look. “According to Kanon, while he was locked in the prison, he came across Poseidon’s trident. We can only guess at why it was in Ares’s prison, though our best bet is that the war god stole it to incite, well, war.” Shion smiled wryly. As he spoke, Kiki was sending the timeline spiraling slowly down, providing them a visual representation of events as well.

“I assume all of you know about what happens next, given who you are, but for the sake of completeness, I will map it out. Aiolos entrusted Athena to a Japanese tourist with his dying breath, bequeathing his Cloth as well, to offer her protection. This man collected orphans from all over Japan, including his sole bastard child,” he nodded to Hyôga sympathetically, “and he trained you all in direct opposition of everything Sanctuary stood for, pushing you too far, too young. You participated in the Galaxy Tournament, then later invaded Sanctuary, reversed Saga’s possession with the Aegis Shield, and deposed Ares’s tyrannical regime. Unfortunately, this led to the deaths of about half the Gold Saints.

“Later you faced and quelled Poseidon’s wrath, and brought the Holy War to Hades’s own domain. This led to the destruction of the Underworld and the deaths of all of the Gold Saints, and this is where things get bad. Kiki tells me Athena went to the only living trained Gold Saint, Milo’s retired predecessor, Scorpio Tryphosa, and she reluctantly accepted my mantle. You trained with the memories of past Saints in the portrait catacombs, their likenesses and Cosmo turned into wraiths by our beloved Pictor Saint. You did well. Shun became Grand Master when Tryphosa felt his training was good enough, and he led you well. You are everything I could have ever dreamed of from the next generation.” Shion smiled at them all, unspeakable proud, and they all felt a bit embarrassed.

“However, the Underworld was still destroyed. This should have led to the decay and destruction of the world, but something prevented that. We still don't know what it was.” Shion looked grim, and Hyôga swallowed the hard lump in his throat. Destroyed the entire _world_? They- they had doomed the world? They thought they'd saved it. Though- that was right. It had been Tryphosa’s lifelong quest after she’d retired (again), to figure out why the world wasn't decaying with no one to shepherd the souls of the dead. No one to guide them to drink from the Lethe and be reborn as new people.

“This brings us to about five hundred years from the present day, and the life of Andromeda Anatoly.” Hyôga frowned, sitting up a little straighter. “Young Anatoly was one of two living Saints. All the rest, every single one, were dead.” All four of them made soft, shocked noises. “All of the Cloths, save Virgo, Andromeda, Cygnus, Pegasus, Draco, and Phoenix, were destroyed. Virgo died and their Cloth was destroyed attempting to get Anatoly to a safe place where the last of the Cloths could be preserved. Anatoly also died, and the Cloths he was protecting, the last Cloths in existence, were destroyed.” Shion looked around at them, grim.

“The dragons did it. They somehow have the power to do this. They also have the ability to annihilate souls. The only reason Anatoly survived to tell this story to us is because the Phoenix Cloth sacrificed its legendary regenerative powers to protect his soul so that he could be reborn, as Shaka once again.” Everyone stared at Shaka, horrified, and they shifted uncomfortably. Mû placed a gentle, comforting hand on their shoulder. “We have three Cloth Smiths, but the Smithing of Cloths was done in the Age of Myth, and all we have done since is maintain. However, we aren't going to let that stop us. We're going to recreate the Cloths, and we're going to fight back against the dragons, which you've already been doing. Welcome, Saints, to New Sanctuary.” Shion said brightly. Isaac raised her hand.

“Just for the record, I'm still a Marina, not a Saint.” She said, tone bored. Hyôga saw Camus shoot their sister an intensely worried look.

“Ah, my mistake. Welcome Marinas and Saints, to New Sanctuary.” Shion revised, smiling. The atmosphere relaxed, and Shion chuckled. “We've got quarters prepared for you all. I recommend you get some rest, okay? Let yourselves process.” Shion advised, and with that the meeting was officially broken up. Hyôga found himself lingering awkwardly in the hallway with Isaac and Camus.

“I think… we should probably talk. About some things. As a family.” Camus said, awkward and halting.

“Yeah, like how your date went?” Isaac jabbed him in the arm playfully.

Hyôga and Camus sighed in unison, “Isaac.”

“Alright, but after you'll let us know how that date went yeah?”

“Mmm,” Camus nodded, “I owe both of you an apology. I pitted you against one another… and in the end…” he trailed off, not quite looking at Hyôga.

His little brother sighed and rubbed one arm, “Scorpio Milo looked after me for a little while, and Master Tryphosa got me into therapy.” He hesitated, “it never really went away, the guilt, but the portrait I trained with offered me a little comfort. Apparently he had to do the same sort of thing.” He turned his attention to Isaac, “Isaac…”

“Don't start,” she frowned, “I knew what I was getting into, sort of. Besides, I came around in the end.” she ran a hand over the side of her face, recalling where her eye had once been missing. “I just need a moment is all.”

“Yeah,” Hyôga nodded. He reached out and pulled both of his siblings into a hug. “I love you both.”

Camus held both of them tightly, “same.”

“I tolerate you exceptionally well,” Isaac rolled her eyes, before both of her brothers squeezed her. “Fine, I love you two idiots too.” She grinned, “now come on, _big bro_ , tell me how the date went? Cause judging by the conference room, I say it went well.” She punctuated the statement with an eyebrow waggle. Camus groaned softly, hiding his face in his hands.

“Is _aac_.” He grumbled, and Hyôga laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're going to be adding little relationship shorts at some point. Deleted scenes, if you will. They're probably going to mostly be porn, because the amount of characters we're beginning to juggle is getting very high, and we're not sure we can actually slide more non-plot-relevant porn in here, but we both want to explore the characters' interpersonal relationships. So yeah. 
> 
> The first one's probably going to be Saga and Camus, the discussion that led to them making out in the conference room. :)


End file.
